


Fallen from Space

by DrNeverland



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien-Angel culture is being made up on the fly, Aliens, Alternate Universe, Angel Wings, Angels, Cid Vincent and Shera are a throuple, Domestic Eldritch Abominations and the Humans who love them, Eventual Romance, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Interspecies Awkwardness, Interspecies Romance, M/M, Multi, Outer Space, Polyamorous Character, References to Depression, Science Fiction, Self-Esteem Issues, self-care
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2019-07-11 18:51:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15978326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrNeverland/pseuds/DrNeverland
Summary: A night time meteor shower over Kalm carries with it an old legend: that the "stars" that fall are actually angels passing by to bless young couples watching from below.Cloud couldn't give a shit less about old wives' tales about love, being single himself.Until a man literally drops out of the sky in front of him.





	1. Chapter 1

Cloud sped along a dark highway outside of Edge. Cid would probably ream him in the morning for taking so long on a delivery, but he got caught up in the festival in Kalm. So many had gathered in the small town for the Meteor Fall Festival, a yearly celebration of a particular meteor shower that passed each year in its orbit past Gaea.

Parking had been a nightmare, trying to get through the town even worse, so Cloud had made his delivery and then stayed for some of the street vendor foods. He decided on cutting out when things got quieter while everyone took to the fields just outside the town. Telescopes at the ready to watch the celestial show dotted the field like a tiny forest of three-legged trees.

Not that Cloud wasn’t interested in seeing the shower himself, but they were just space rocks, and he knew the old story they told in Kalm. Legend had it that the meteors were actually falling angels, who blessed any couples present with love and happiness for the rest of their lives. Even if it was superstitious bullshit, every year, the Meteor Fall festival brought hundreds of couples, and almost every year there was at least one proposal made in the crowd.

Unfortunately, Cloud was dreadfully, _painfully_ single. Sitting in on a bunch of horny teenagers, old folks who’d already made the festival an anniversary or special date night - Cloud gave the whole thing a hard pass. He didn’t need to be surrounded by folks happier than himself, even if he might hook up with a cute astronomy nerd. His luck wasn’t that high.

_Still, it would have been nice to have a date to the-_ he began to think, as a bright light broke through the night sky above. The streak of light plummeted to the ground with a deafening BOOM. Whatever had crashed caused the road to erupt into a crater just ahead, showering his bike with pieces of shattered asphalt.

Skidding and steering to try to avoid the mess, Cloud felt the world shift hard as a ripple of aftershocks shook his bike, jerking it out from under him. The bike disappeared from Cloud’s vision as he tumbled and rolled, feeling something crack in his torso, blinding him with pain. His lungs failed on him, and at least two limbs were shattered.

Cloud flopped onto his side as he stopped rolling, right near the edge of the pit that had opened up. His failing vision blurred as his labored breathing began to fog the cracked visor his helmet.

A shape, some sort of black mass, loomed over him, highlighted from behind by an unusual, green glow. Struggling to clear his vision, Cloud realized the shape was not a singular black mass. There was something white in the center. A tall, white shape, wrapped in darkness like a cloak, and it reached for him…

Cloud felt his body moving, floating. He could no longer feel his limbs.

_Am I dying?_ Cloud wondered. _Cid’s gonna be pissed…_

The weight of his helmet vanished. Cloud blinked in his pain-numbed haze. A face, pale white against the dark, loomed over him.

The last thing Cloud saw was bright, green eyes, glowing like fire. Then it all went dark.

 

*

 

“SHIT!” Cloud sat up in his bed. Daylight streamed through his window, and birds chirped outside. He rubbed at his face, feeling like he’d just lived through the worst hangover. Examining himself, Cloud realized he was naked in his own bed, nothing broken, and certainly not dead.

“Nightmare?” Cloud groaned. His throat felt like he’d been eating broken glass. And his head - oh, the pain throbbed like Cid had taken an air hammer to his skull. Which he might do, if he found out that Cloud had gotten home without even calling him.

“FUCK!” Cloud pushed away his heavy covers, scrabbling to find his phone. “He’s gonna be so pissed I didn’t check in,” Cloud muttered, struggling to break free of his bed.

Squirming to one side, Cloud froze when he felt something close over him, coiled over him with thick, warm weight. He took a better look at his blankets, recalling that his bed set was _blue_ and not **black** and certainly not made of feathers!

“What the hell!?” Cloud pushed at the feathery mass as he started to panic at whatever was in his bed with him. Shoving as hard as he could, Cloud tumbled onto the floor when a pale arm shot out from underneath the feathers to swat at him.

Rolling backwards, Cloud knelt on his floor, watching the black mass shift and turn, and the rest of _whatever the fuck that was_ revealed itself.

Or, rather, **himself**.

On Cloud’s bed sat a tall man, long, silver hair framing a handsome face and partially covering a pale, muscular torso that reminded Cloud of marble statues of old gods. Raised behind him were massive, wings with feathers as dark as night, but shimmered with an iridescent hue of oil on water.

Second most startling was that the strange man was _also naked_ and in _Cloud’s bed_.

“What the-who-how-what are-WHO ARE YOU?” Cloud stammered, getting to his feet.

The stranger’s glowing green eyes followed his movements and suddenly Cloud remembered he was _also_ naked, this strange man was in his bed and had _wings_ and he felt very lightheaded.

Leaning forward, hands on his knees, Cloud took deep breaths and counted. Long silence followed, until the man spoke, a voice like the deep winds that blew through Nibelheim.

“I am Sephiroth,” the man said.

Cloud looked up, slowly. “Okay. Why are you in my bed?”

“You were dying. I healed you.” Sephiroth replied. His face was an unreadable mask of non-expression. “It is a draining task. I needed to stay close to keep you safe. I fell asleep.”

Taking a brief moment to compose himself, Cloud straightened up, rubbing his temples.

“Wait, so I did crash, and you… saved me?” Cloud glanced toward Sephiroth, who replied with a single nod.

“Well, thanks for- FUCK, MY BIKE!” Cloud pushed back his bangs. Cid really was going to kill him - if not for ruining the bike, but for probably leaving it in the middle of the highway as a wreck. Not to mention the cost…

Canting his head, Sephiroth blinked slowly. “That does not seem advisable.”

His serious expression and statement brought Cloud back from the brink of panic; Cloud wanted to laugh, but the alien man in his bed was just too earnest to be joking. The whole thing was strange. Beyond strange. This man had _wings_ , and apparently had almost killed him, then saved him; Cloud felt his mind and heart race each other as he tried to fit logic into any of this.

“Okay.” Cloud took a deep breath and held out his hands as if trying to grasp the situation. “I need pants.”

Backing toward his closet, Cloud pulled out a pair of jeans and tried to hop into them while watching Sephiroth.

Sephiroth just watched him back, sitting primly on Cloud’s bed as if he belonged there. Some small feathers had shed, possibly from Cloud’s struggle to escape, dotting his mattress with black fuzz.

“Okay. Okay…” Cloud pulled his jeans up and rubbed his temples again. “You saved me. Where did you come from? How did you get into my house? How did you even know where I lived?”

Sephiroth tilted his head in the other direction before he crawled off the bed, dragging the sheets under his massive wings as he moved. Standing to his full - very tall - height, Sephiroth approached.

“I came from space.”

Cloud opened his mouth, inhaled, closed it, then exhaled through his nose.

“Space,” he said, to Sephiroth’s nod.

“I learned where you live, how to get in, and how to speak your language by reading your mind,” Sephiroth continued.

Cloud felt his face drain of color. “You can read my mind?” he asked, realizing that a few thoughts on Sephiroth’s perfect musculature had joined in among the panic and fear of finding a _goddamned space angel_ in his bed.

“Only if I am in contact with you. Like this.” Sephiroth leaned down and pressed his forehead to Cloud’s.

Cloud inhaled sharply, widening his eyes as a spark like static shock ran through his body. In an instant, he saw space, glorious and vast, and Gaea, as if he were looking down upon it. Images flickered by: clouds, mountains, the speckles of city lights, then a great flash, and a memory of pain. He saw himself, injured and dying in the road, being lifted into Sephiroth’s arms.

Pushing Sephiroth off, Cloud gasped for breath. His cold hands trembled on Sephiroth’s broad chest.

“What was that?”

“It was easier to tell you how I got here than using words.”

Cloud’s head dropped down. “You saved my life.”

“I nearly ended it. It would be…” Sephiroth pressed his lips into a thin line, struggling for the human word. “Impolite, to have killed someone on my first visit.”

“First visit?” Cloud took a step back and rubbed at his face again. “Wait, you were injured, weren’t you?”

Sephiroth gave another nod. Behind him, his left wing drooped miserably, while the right arched behind his back, unscathed.

“Shit, how do we fix it?” Cloud asked, reaching out.

Sephiroth jumped and flinched away. “I will heal.”

“Did you burn up your own healing energy to save me?”

“Do not be ridiculous. I am an infinite source of power.”

Cloud frowned. “Your wing is still broken. So, maybe not.”

Sephiroth turned away, shielding himself with his good wing. Cloud saw his fingers pull on the other one, trying to smooth disjointed feathers.

“Maybe I am not,” said Sephiroth, his voice muffled from the curtain of feathers.

The front door to Cloud’s apartment opened and shut again with a slam. Zack’s voice called out, cheerful as ever for first thing in the morning.

“Hey, Cloud! You home?” There was a beat of silence, followed by “Didn’t see your bike… what the- shit, is that blood?!”

Cloud balked. Sephiroth had dragged his bloody body through the apartment?!

“Stay here,” Cloud ordered, rushing out to greet Zack before he opened the bedroom door. The last thing Cloud needed was for Zack Fair, chatterbox extraordinaire, to spread word that Cloud had a **naked angel from outer space** in his bedroom.

“Hey!” Cloud slipped out of his room and into the hall, where he all but collided into Zack’s chest. “Oof! Hi!”

Zack grabbed Cloud by the shoulders. “Man, there you are! I thought - shit, I saw the blood-”

Cloud looked to the floor. Dark red stains trailed not from the door, but from Cloud’s wide open window overlooking his little corner of Edge. Not long drag marks, but splattered drips. Thinking quickly, Cloud came up with a lie.

“It was a cat.”

“A cat?”

“Yeah!” Cloud swallowed. “Stray cat got in, had a bird in its mouth, decided to bring it in here. Shooed it out, but damn thing wrecked my carpet.” He put on a smile, and for a moment, Zack just stared at him.

“Oh, well, shit, that sucks. Poor thing.” Zack leaned back and rubbed his neck. “Well, I didn’t see your bike but I thought I’d come in and wait for you, but you’re here-”

“Yeah my bike, um… is in the shop. Or, should be. I, uh…” Cloud began to panic. He had no idea what happened to his bike, or the road he’d been on…

“I heard there was an accident last night, just outside of Edge. They found a bike by the side of the road, and nobody with it, I couldn’t help but worry-” Zack started to say, pulling back when Cloud’s bedroom door opened.

_No, no, no, no-_

Sephiroth slipped out, his head bowed low.

“It was my fault,” Sephiroth said, apologetic.

Zack just stood there, staring.

Cloud slapped his forehead, wishing that perhaps Sephiroth would have just let him die. The feeling passed when he felt Sephiroth’s eyes on him, and lowered his hand. Sephiroth looked at him, a small furrow in his brows. And was he pouting?

“Wings,” was all Zack said. “Wings.”

Sephiroth took a step forward and pressed his index finger to Zack’s forehead. With his eyes rolling back into his head, Zack collapsed like a marionette with the strings cut.

“The fuck was that?!” Cloud stumbled back, looking at his fallen friend.

“I made him sleep.”

“Wake him up! Zack’s a friend! And I- shit, _shit_ , if he heard my bike’s been wrecked… no, he saw your wings, he’s gonna tell people-” Cloud crouched beside Zack and cradled his head, the unfortunate lolling making Zack look more rag doll than human.

“I can hide them.” With a deep breath, Sephiroth’s wings vanished in a haze of gray smoke before that, too, disappeared.

“Great! Now wake him up!”

Sephiroth frowned and leaned over Zack, touching his forehead with his finger again.

Zack opened his eyes with a gasp, just as Sephiroth fell back on his rear, the wings once again manifesting, popping into existence with enough force to knock a few pictures off the wall.

“I thought you were going to hide those!” Cloud hissed. Guilt shot through him as Sephiroth looked at him with watering eyes. He climbed over as best he could, mindful now of broken glass from the fallen frames.

“I cannot when the one is broken,” Sephiroth groaned. “I did not know that…”

Zack scuttled backwards, away from the angel, looking between Cloud and Sephiroth.

“Am I dead? Is this a weird joke?”

Cloud sighed and sat down beside his friend. “I wish it was. It’s one wacky dream, I can tell you that…” he said, and launched into the details of the night before, right up until Sephiroth made himself known.

Sephiroth sat nearby, filling in things from his perspective.

“...so I brought him here so that he may heal.”

Zack had his chin in his palm, elbow against his knee, watching Sephiroth as they spoke. For just learning that his best friend nearly died because an angel from space had crashed into the planet, he seemed to be taking the news surprisingly well.

“So, he’s from space?” Zack asked, as if it hadn’t just been repeated a few times to him.

Sephiroth nodded.

“And he healed you from near death?” Zack turned and pointed at Cloud.

Cloud replied “uh huh.”

“Man, I gotta call Angeal.” Zack hopped to his feet and pulled out his phone. Cloud jumped up after him.

“Noooooooo, you are not telling Angeal about this.” Cloud smacked Zack’s phone out of his hand before he could even turn it on. “Because then he’ll tell Gen and then Gen will tell literally everyone or want to paint his picture or something and I’m not ready to have the Turks in my house investigating the alien that saved my life.”

Zack folded his arms over his chest. “Well, how is he gonna wear clothes? You’re way too short for him to share. I borrowed that one shirt and it was a crop top on me… not that Aerith minded…” Zack smirked, focusing on a time that certainly was not the present.

Cloud’s mouth dropped open. “I… uh… I dunno.”

“Why do I need clothing?” Sephiroth asked.

Flushing pink, Cloud found himself stammering for words. “I… you’re just… naked.”

Sephiroth looked unimpressed.

“And?”

“Just lemme call him, I’ll just say to bring over some pants.” Zack grinned in Cloud’s direction. “I mean, not for nothing, I’ve got a girlfriend, but damn. At least you bagged yourself a hot alien boyfriend.”

Cloud felt his face turn from warm pink to bright red as Zack shoved off to call Angeal. He looked Sephiroth’s way; Sephiroth had a hand to his forehead and then to his cheek.

“I do not feel particularly warm,” Sephiroth said.

Cloud sighed. “It’s an expression. Didn’t you get that from reading my mind?”

“I only looked at what was important: communing with you, and finding your nest.”

Getting to his feet, Cloud moved to help Sephiroth off the floor. He took a moment to pick up what he could of the broken glass before either of them got hurt again.

“It’s not a ‘nest,’ it’s an apartment. How did you get here, if your wing is busted?” Cloud blurted out. He looked away to find his broom and dust pan, sweeping up the remaining shards. “Sorry.”

Sephiroth watched him curiously, leaning over as Cloud stooped. His silver locks fell over one shoulder in silken waves. Cloud felt a lump in his throat at being observed so keenly.

“I can walk,” Sephiroth said, nothing in his tone to indicate he was offended.

“I mean, how did you get up _here_ , carrying me?”

“You are not heavy. I cradled you as one would a fledgling. Scaling walls is not difficult.”

“And no one saw you? I mean, I’d notice a-” _gorgeous, beautiful,_ “naked guy with wings carrying a body around.” Cloud gulped and ducked under Sephiroth’s scrutiny, tossing the broken glass in his kitchenette trash.

A hint of amusement glittered in Sephiroth’s eyes as Cloud turned to face him again, and a tinge of pink crossed Sephiroth’s high cheekbones.

“I am capable of hiding in plain sight. No one saw us.”

Cloud gave Sephiroth an incredulous look and turned away. Sephiroth’s stare was unnerving, and he inched closer as they talked. It was overwhelming, the mass of Sephiroth’s body just overshadowing him.

Zack’s voice interrupted Cloud’s meandering train of thought as he argued with Angeal.

“No, you don’t have to bring Gen over, too. Just hit up Cloud’s with some jeans and maybe your least favorite tank top. Okay?” Zack groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, fine. Just… you know how Cloud and Gen don’t get along… Okay. Yeah. Alright. See ya.”

Cloud, taking the opportunity to put a bit of distance between himself and Sephiroth, hopped over the back of his beaten, old couch to sit beside Zack.

“Angeal’s bringing the hubby along?”

Zack sighed. “Yeah, sorry about that. Can’t stop him. They’re inseparable. I just don’t know how we’re gonna be able to swear Genesis to secrecy.”

“Genesis?”

Zack and Cloud both jumped out of their skin when Sephiroth’s voice right behind them. Cloud hadn’t even heard him move forward, making him believe what Sephiroth said about making himself undetectable.

“Yeah, uh…” Zack turned on the couch and looked up at Sephiroth. “My mentor, boss, and self-appointed big brother, Angeal. His husband, Genesis, is a real piece of work. Gabby, artistic, poet type. Likes to put on a lot of airs.”

Sephiroth hummed and tilted his head, turning away to wander through Cloud’s apartment.

Watching him, Cloud noticed Sephiroth manually move his damaged wing to navigate his way around. Sephiroth stopped occasionally to inspect a photo, or pick up a model of something Cloud had on a shelf, study it carefully, then return the item to its place. He picked up a book and thumbed through the pages, delicately running long fingers over the paper and studying whatever he saw.

Cloud felt an ache in his chest. Whatever Sephiroth was, he neither seemed naive nor imperious; he appeared curious, but did not bombard either of them with questions. Passing a window, sunlight caught Sephiroth’s hair and face, and the glow off his skin looked ethereal. _Otherworldly._

“Gaea to Cloud.” Zack snapped his fingers in front of Cloud’s face. “Should I leave you unsupervised?” he teased, grinning.

Cloud blushed and dragged his gaze away from Sephiroth, who had picked up one of Cloud’s tech manuals for perusal.

“Don’t give me that shit. The guy literally fell out of the sky and cratered solid asphalt with his body and still carried _me_ home while I was dying. What do you think I’m gonna do to him?

Dropping his voice to a whisper, Zack’s mischievous grin split his face like a jack-o-lantern.

“Nothing much, but maybe you should get you some alien tail.”

“ZACK!” Cloud hissed, looking up to see if Sephiroth was listening. “He saved my life.”

“Show him some gratitude!”

“Oh my _God,_ shut up. He said this was his first visit, and he nearly crashed into me. I think he saved me as an apology, not because he wanted to get his intergalactic freak on with a human.”

Zack leaned back on Cloud’s couch, still giving him a smug look, arms folded behind his head.

“Yeah, but, how often do you get to wake up in _anyone’s_ arms, let alone some hot alien space angel’s?”

“Stop calling him that. I mean, that’s what he might look like, but he’s not-”

“I am.”

Cloud and Zack looked to Sephiroth, who watched them over his latest choice of inspection: a dusty dictionary Cloud had forgotten he still owned.

“You are?” Cloud asked, shooting a glance at Zack.

“By what you call an angel. A winged humanoid from beyond your planet.”

Zack turned to face Sephiroth. “Maybe in _looks,_ but I was really kidding. You’re not, like, a magical being sent by the gods, are you?”

Sephiroth looked down to the entry he had paused at and then up again.

“My mother could have been considered a goddess,” he said, casually as though he were talking about the weather. “Compared to humans, anyway.”

Zack’s smile fell, and he looked to Cloud. “Your… mother?”

“Yes. We do breed on my world.”

Sucking in a deep breath, Zack clapped a hand against his cheek. He smiled, a little awestruck by the new being wandering Cloud’s apartment. Cloud suspected that just one too many of Zack’s sci-fi/fantasy novels were coming true at once.

“Huh, you really are something,” Zack sighed.

Sephiroth nodded. “You are something as well.” A thin smile appeared on Sephiroth’s lips, then he returned to his reading.

Zack looked back at Cloud. “Wow.”

Cloud snorted. “Yeah…”

 

Twenty minutes passed as they waited for Angeal and Genesis to arrive. Zack managed to help Cloud corral Sephiroth back into the bedroom. Sephiroth was told to make sure he stayed _put_ this time. They needed time to figure out how to explain who and what Sephiroth was, even though they barely had a clue between them.

As he waited, Cloud finished dressing, acutely aware that Sephiroth watched him. Despite his rapt attention, Cloud didn’t get the feeling Sephiroth was doing it to be a lech, he was merely curious.

“Why’d you undress me?” Cloud asked, while they had a moment without Zack interjecting some lewd opinion of their predicament.

“Your clothing was bloody and torn. It smelled of your impending demise.”

Cloud grimaced at the phrasing, but couldn’t deny that it was probably true. He sighed and sat beside Sephiroth, who moved his good wing to accommodate Cloud’s approach.

“I really didn’t get to thank you… I mean, I could have just died on the road… you could have left me behind.” Cloud reached out and touched Sephiroth’s hand. Sephiroth clasped Cloud’s fingers in his own. They were warm and soft skinned, but firm in their grip.

“I felt your life force slipping away. Had I paid better attention to the drafts of your atmosphere, I could have landed instead of crashing.” Sephiroth bowed his head. “Your injuries were my fault. I could not leave you there.” He squeezed Cloud’s fingers and looked into Cloud’s eyes. “I did not come to this place to kill any of its creatures.”

Cloud’s throat felt dry and he licked his lips. Sephiroth seemed so earnest with his words that it was hard to doubt him. He leaned a little closer to Sephiroth, parting his lips to speak.

“Why did-”

Before Cloud could finish his question, the door to the bedroom burst open. Genesis stood in the doorway, staring them down. Zack and Angeal were jut behind; Zack apologized and tried to pull Genesis away. Angeal looked sheepish at Genesis’ intrusion.

Sephiroth got to his feet, eyes wide and mouth slack. He darted forward.

Genesis gaped at Sephiroth, crossing the room in quick steps. They met in the middle, pressing forehead to forehead. Cloud peered around them, toward Angeal and Zack.

Before anyone could ask, both Sephiroth and Genesis closed their eyes. Song erupted from the two of them - not words, but musical tones from their throats. At once, it sounded mournful and sweet, reminding Cloud of seeing old friends, of losing his mother and the grief that followed. Memories of childhood flooded his thoughts all at once and Cloud wiped at his eyes - when had he started crying?

Across the room, Angeal and Zack were weeping as well. Zack leaned against the wall, holding his face with one hand and steadying himself with the other on his knee. Angeal managed to compose himself enough to approach Sephiroth and Genesis, settling a hand on each of their shoulders.

“My love,” Angeal interrupted, addressing Genesis. “Maybe you should hold back,” Angeal said, his strong voice choked with emotion.

Genesis let Sephiroth go, and at once the song stopped. The overwhelming emotions ceased, and Cloud felt his breathing return to normal.

“The hell was that?!” Zack snapped, scrubbing at his blotchy face.

Genesis smiled, one hand on Sephiroth’s arm. “Sephiroth and I are broodmates. I am, as you’d say, an angel too.”

Sephiroth’s face lit with affection; Cloud watched as Genesis took off his coat, revealing a sleeveless shirt beneath. Behind him, two wings, the speckled with same kind of ruddy auburn as his hair and edged with white, unfolded behind him. As Sephiroth’s had, the wings manifested from nothing.

“Broodmates?” Cloud choked out. “You’re _both_ aliens?”

Turning to Cloud, Sephiroth offered a hand to him. As soon as he touched it, Cloud felt a small surge of understanding.

“He’s like a brother.” Cloud furrowed his brow. How had Sephiroth told him that without speaking?

Genesis laughed, the sound like music instead of grating Cloud’s nerves.

“We were born within the same brood cycle, but I am older than he. Our mothers were breed companions, despite…” Genesis trailed.

Sephiroth tutted and shook his head. “A queen’s companion is worthy, as are you. I am happy to see you again.” He smiled gently and nuzzled his cheek to Genesis’, who reciprocated with a soft hum.

“What the hell happened?!” Zack demanded. “Why did I suddenly feel the need to call my parents?”

Angeal cleared his throat. “I think we all need to sit down and have a long talk. At least this explains why Genesis was pacing all night.”

Genesis smiled, leaning up to nuzzle Sephiroth’s cheek again. “I felt him arrive. I wish I could have been there to help you land.”

“I am just glad to know you are alive,” Sephiroth murmured.

Once they fetched Cloud’s first aid kit, water, towels, and a stool from the kitchenette counter, everyone assembled in the living room. Genesis tucked his wings back while he helped set up a folding table. Sephiroth, finally wearing the pants Angeal brought over, perched on the stool in the middle of Cloud’s living room while Genesis attended to his broken wing.

Cloud sat on his couch, squeezed between Angeal and Zack. All three humans sat by, transfixed. Genesis crooned in what Cloud guessed to be their home language, as Sephiroth hummed and cooed in reply, a conversation Cloud wished they’d be let in on. The two being familiar with one another had taken the day to a whole new level of bizarre.

“Hey,” Zack raised his hand, as if still in school and not in his twenties. “I have a question.”

Genesis and Sephiroth turned to look at him simultaneously. Cloud squirmed in his seat; now that he had a better look at Genesis in his natural state, he could see where he and Sephiroth were alike. Genesis did not have the slit pupils that Sephiroth had, but his gaze was just as intense and glowed an aqua blue in the right light.

“What is it?” Genesis demanded. He turned back to his task, making sure Sephiroth’s wing splint held it properly against his back.

“If you’re a space angel, too, how come we’re just finding out about this? How long have you been here? How come I’ve never heard of like, a space ship turning up?”

Genesis scoffed and leaned into Sephiroth’s ear. He hummed something soft, as if translating, and Sephiroth started to laugh.

The musical sound and the breadth of Sephiroth’s smile caught Cloud off guard. He wished he had something greater than “beautiful” to use as a descriptor of the way Sephiroth’s face lit up. Now that he had the comfort of an old friend, Sephiroth seemed less alien than his stoic, godly appearance earlier that morning.

“He’s laughing because you think we are weak enough to need to shield ourselves with primitive conveyances,” Genesis explained. “We simply **go** into space.”

Cloud raised his hand, and Angeal pushed it back down. “Just ask your questions. This isn’t a history lesson.” Angeal smiled at Cloud, and Cloud relaxed. He must have asked the same questions at some point, willing to let Genesis and Sephiroth explain themselves.

“How do you breathe?” Cloud asked, once again met with laughter, without need for translation.

“I told you, I am- _we_ are beings made greater than frail humans,” Sephiroth said. “I can take wing through the cosmos whenever I wish, _if_ I so wish.”

“Not for a few cycles now,” Genesis said. “Your wing will need time to heal. Fortunately, you have a generous, _grateful_ human whose life you saved last night so you can rest and be pampered like the prince you are.”

Cloud gulped. “He can’t stay here.”

“Why not?”

All four men looked at Cloud, having all asked the same question at once, albeit in very different tones. Zack, he could guess, wanted to badger Sephiroth and Genesis with questions about space, Angeal looked sad, Genesis looked offended and Sephiroth looked like a kicked puppy.

“I mean…” Cloud felt the anxiety rising in his throat. “I’m a delivery guy and mechanic. I’m hardly home. I can’t take care of him. I don’t even know how!”

Genesis scoffed and put his hands on his hips. “He’s not an infant. You needn’t feed him every hour, but do make sure he has food.”

“I can speak for myself, Genesis.” Sephiroth got up from the stool and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “If Cloud does not desire my presence, I shall not burden him further. May I stay with you?”

Angeal started to speak, but Genesis puffed up, his feathers fluffing in all directions.

“I’m sorry, it’s been so long since I’ve seen another of ours - Angeal and I are quite… mated,” Genesis said.

Sephiroth’s lips drew into a deep frown. “But you are both males…?” he said.

“Yes, and I do not cater to the ways of home anymore. It’s… it’s not even home. This is my home, now,” Genesis said.

Cloud got to his feet and pushed between the two alien men. “Wait, he can stay. If you’re, um… mated, and that’s gonna be an inconvenience for you guys… I mean, maybe it’s better that there’s somebody here. I’m paying for the place, right?” Cloud felt put out, taking on the responsibility Genesis and Angeal rejected. “Might as well have someone actually living here.”

Sephiroth put a hand on Cloud’s back. “I do not wish to impose…”

“Nonsense.” The hopeful look on Sephiroth’s face turned Cloud’s resolve into steel. “You can stay.”

“Great!” Zack clapped his hands together. “Because I wanna ask questions, and if Angeal is there to scold me, I can’t do that.”

“Sephiroth is under no obligation to answer you,” Genesis growled.

Zack pointed at Genesis. “There’s one. How come you keep speaking for him? You said he was a prince, he said his mom’s a goddess, and you also said something about a queen?”

Genesis sighed, but Sephiroth spoke up.

“There are some habits that are hard to break, even if one is gone some two-thousand cycles,” Sephiroth said. He gave Genesis some significant look that made him shrink back with his head down. “The words in your language are separate, but in our world, ranks are the same. My mother is Progenitor Queen to our people. In your words, I am a prince… well…”

Genesis picked up where Sephiroth trailed off. “He **was** a prince. By rights, he _should_ be king.”

The heavy silence that filled the room answered one lingering question Cloud had. Angeal put a hand on Sephiroth’s shoulder, being the first to voice his consolation.

“I’m sorry to hear about your mother.”

Cloud backed up and sat heavily beside Zack again. Zack rubbed his shoulder, not saying a word but knowing the weight that brought Cloud down.

“Is that why you left? Did you not want to be king?” Genesis asked. “Who is-?”

Sephiroth snorted and moved away. “You know what ‘kings’ are. Mother Lucrecia stepped in during the mourning ceremony. I escaped shortly after.” Sephiroth sneered and shielded himself with his good wing. “I could not take the grief while I am supposed to be breeding my wives.”

Cloud raised a brow and grimaced. “Breeding your wives?”

Genesis shook his head. “It is an exhausting job. Progenitor Kings are meant to breed a new generation of royalty. Some kings mate themselves to death while trying to produce as many young as possible. The first females to become pregnant and boy and girl are the new Progenitor Queens, and the cycle continues.”

“I do not have siblings,” Sephiroth murmured. “I was to create the next generation alone.”

Zack cringed and wiped at his mouth. “That does sound exhausting. What happens to the queens? Do they just rule? What’s gonna happen now?”

Genesis began to speak, but Sephiroth stopped him.

“I don’t care. Broodmothers can take over. Common kin, like Genesis, can make their own families, raised in their own communities. I haven’t- since you left…” Sephiroth flopped into Cloud’s armchair, distraught. “I am alone, Genesis. Now that she’s gone…”

A miserable wail came from Sephiroth’s throat, and at once, Cloud felt a wave of unhappiness that threatened to drown him. Curling into a ball of black feathers, Sephiroth’s voice still flowed from behind the veil of wings, drawing sobs from Cloud’s body.

“Please, stop, my dear. You’re hurting our human friends.” Genesis seemed to be the only one immune, but even his eyes watered at Sephiroth’s mournful singing.

Cloud crossed the room to Sephiroth’s side. “Look,” he said, pausing to wipe at his eyes. “I can’t pretend I know anything about your world, or if you even want to go back. But you can stay as long as you need.” Cloud reached a hand into the mass of feathers, seeking out some purchase. He felt Sephiroth grip his hand tight.

“Thank you, Cloud.”

“Can I ask what’s probably on all of our minds?” Zack said, interrupting the moment. Before being given permission, he asked anyway. “Why _did_ you run away from home? Pressure of being, you know… King Fuckmachine?”

“Zackary!” Angeal snapped, swatting him upside the head.

Zack yelped and rubbed where Angeal hit him. “Well! He said he doesn’t care what happens! And it sounds like breeding royals is a fucking death sentence! I mean, he’s gotta _mate_ with everyone they bring him until he makes a baby? And if he manages to survive _that_ , what then? Do they shove him in a closet? Hang a little banner on his dick that says ‘Good Job?’ What’s the retirement plan for a King?”

Angeal grabbed Zack by the ear. “You’re being rude!”

“Angeal, no, he’s…” Genesis put a hand on Angeal’s arm to calm him down, humming something that sounded soothing.

“Despite his crudeness, he’s not entirely wrong in his estimate.” Genesis crouched before Zack, looking up at him. “Progenitor Kings are valued for their service, but you are right… those who survive the breeding process _may_ be left in the shadow of their Queens. It… our culture is not like that of humans. You… give each other value. We are meant to survive before all else.”

“Well, that sucks. What about your parents, Gen? I mean, you’re a common…uh… angel? I really don’t know what to call you guys.” Zack bridged his hands behind his neck. “Do you have a name for yourselves?”

“Not one that scans in a human language.” Genesis gave Zack and wry smile and stood again. “Angel’ is an appropriate term. As for my parents… it’s a story for another day. For now, let us worry about Sephiroth.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud's first day dealing with Sephiroth. Zack feels he needs to help "educate" Sephiroth

Cloud sat at his kitchenette counter, rubbing his face with one hand while the other was wrapped around a cup of instant coffee. Cloud had never needed a roommate before. He had a decent, if small, apartment in a building owned by one of his best friends, Tifa. She cut him slack on the rent and in turn, he acted as maintenance whenever he was available. Cid paid him fairly well in his auto shop working on engines and making part deliveries. He lived a fairly quiet life, mostly content.

Until last night.

Taking care of a wounded space angel - he _really_ needed to invent a better term - was a more daunting task than he realized. With Sephiroth unable to hide his wings while they healed, he swept things aside wherever he went. Cloud’s knickknacks ended up fallen over, tilted and brushed into new and frustrating arrangements. His whole apartment had been redecorated in a single night.

Later on, Sephiroth had crawled into his bed again, citing Cloud’s pull out couch was uncomfortable. And lonely.

Apparently, space angels slept communally. They also tended to sprawl out. Cloud had woken up only an hour after Sephiroth's invasion, virtually baking under the blanket of Sephiroth’s good wing. Sleeping so heavily, Cloud managed to squirm out from under the blanket of wings and escape to his living room. Cloud crashed on his own couch while leaving the angel completely undisturbed. His back ended up aching for it, proving Sephiroth _right_.

Cid had called when Cloud’s bike made it from Kalm impound to his garage. Getting an earful about driving carefully, Cloud tried to calm Cid down.

“Cid, it’s okay, it was just a skid-out. I’ve been through worse.”

“Yeah? Well, how could you miss seeing a giant fucking rock nearly kill you?” Cid barked.

“It was dark, and happened really fast-”

“Dammit, if anything fucking happened to you…” Cid choked up. “Y’ain’t blood, but you’re damn close to family…”

Cloud took a deep breath. Though he had no children, Cid had somehow ended up a father figure to Cloud, despite only a twelve year age difference.

“I know, Cid. I’ll try to be more careful in the future.”

“You fucking better.” Cid paused, before hanging up. “I’ll get you a loaner truck so you can make it in later. Just… take it easy.”

“I will.”

 

Afternoon arrived, and with it, Zack. Carrying in two different cardboard boxes, Zack kicked the door open with a loud BANG before thumping the first box onto the floor. Turning around, Zack excused himself to bring in another box, equally heavy, judging by the sound it made.

Sephiroth dragged himself out of Cloud’s room, Zack’s ruckus waking him. He blinked slowly at his surroundings as he reoriented himself.

“Good afternoon,” Zack said, beaming bright. “Sleep well?”

“Yes…” Sephiroth eyed Zack warily.

Cloud rubbed his face and slipped off the stool to his kitchenette, staring at Zack’s haul.

“Okay,” he said. “Why?”

Zack unfolded the top box and pulled out a handful of assorted books. There was a scattered selection: science fiction, fantasy, _romance_ , science fiction AND romance, fantasy and romance… Cloud picked up a book and frowned at the cover.

“I know I said he might learn better from Gaean lit, but…” Cloud grimaced at the cover. “ _My Alien Lover?_ Does he really need to learn the finer points of shitty porn?” he asked as he tossed the book back into the box.

“They’re not ALL erotica. There’s some of the classics, and some genuine lit from my college days,” Zack said, thumbing through an old book of Wutain poetry. “I just figured he’d want to know about our culture, our language…” Zack waggled his eyebrows at Cloud. “Mating rituals.”

Sephiroth flopped onto Cloud’s couch and pulled over a box of books, reaching in and scanning the blurb on the back. The horrified face he pulled made Cloud snort and look away, burying laughter into his shoulder.

“I do not wish to know what kind of ‘mating rituals’ you think my people have,” Sephiroth said, looking at a novel that implied cyborg-human sex “without inhibition!”

Cloud felt the tightness in his chest loosen. At least Sephiroth did not seem interested in Zack’s porn.

“See? Even space royalty hates your taste in books,” Cloud teased.

Zack scoffed. “Just goes to show that _being_ a prince from beyond the stars can’t improve one’s sense of taste,” he said, snatching a few books back and separating them.

“I should clarify what my station really means,” Sephiroth murmured, digging to find something better than _Lord of the Tentacles._ “I’m not really a **royal** as you would call it-”

“They’re not all my collection, anyway,” Zack interrupted. “Aerith sent a few over, too. Recipes, botany. You know, nature stuff.” Zack gestured with a textbook on soil erosion for effect. “In case he’s a nerd.”

“Nerd?” Sephiroth echoed. He threw Zack a puzzled look.

“Means you’re into learning. Like, a _lot_ ,” Zack explained.

“I suppose that is more apt a description than…” Sephiroth gestured with one of the erotic novels. “Whatever these make you think I am.”

Cloud shook his head. “You didn’t tell her I’m harboring an alien, did you?”

“Nah, said you were helping with an outreach program for foreign dignitaries,” Zack said.

“When she didn’t buy that, she said she’d like to meet your boyfriend, if you’re not ashamed of him.”

The smile on Zack’s face made Cloud uncomfortable. That was twice, at least, that Zack tried to imply he would _do_ something to Sephiroth… as if someone who looked like Sephiroth did would even _want_ Cloud in the first place. Not to mention that whole ‘breeding wives’ business Sephiroth mentioned. Sounded like Sephiroth had a specific job his people needed him for.

Then again, Genesis was of the same species and he had Angeal…

“Gaea to Cloud! Your planet needs you!” Zack’s voice cut into the fog and got Cloud out of his anxiety spiral before it got out of hand.

“What’s with the face? You looked like you were ready to cry,” Zack said, his voice gentle. Even Sephiroth seemed to notice, giving Cloud a concerned look.

“I’m fine. Just didn’t sleep well,” Cloud said, shuffling back to his cup of coffee to drain it. He looked away, putting his cup in the sink and letting water run. _I should do the dishes…_

“Is it my fault?” Sephiroth asked after him. “I can…” Sephiroth got to his feet and put some distance between himself and Zack, cornering Cloud in the kitchenette.

Turning from the sink, Cloud jumped with Sephiroth overshadowing him.

“I can sense something is wrong. Did I do something wrong?” Sephiroth asked, his soft voice almost too delicate for Cloud to handle.

“God damn it.” Cloud put a hand over his heart. “No. I mean, kind of. Your wings were too warm, and I was sweating. Came out here, slept on the couch… got a sore neck,” Cloud said, head dropped down so that he addressed Sephiroth’s stomach instead of looking him directly.

Strong hands kneaded at Cloud’s neck. Looking up, Sephiroth wore a faint smile on his lips as he eased the tension out of his shoulders.

“You are feeling better,” he said. “I could feel your distress.”

Cloud blinked and pulled Sephiroth’s hands off of him. “ You said that before…What’s that mean?”

“Since reading your mind yesterday, I have created a link. I can feel your moods, your emotional states.”

Zack said something that might have been lewd, but Cloud focused on Sephiroth’s words instead.

“You can feel my emotions?”

Sephiroth nodded, placing his hands on Cloud’s shoulders again. “My people bond very well this way. It allows us to connect with others, creating communities-”

“Well, don’t do it to me,” Cloud snapped. “I don’t need anyone probing my thoughts like that. It’s… invasive.”

Sephiroth pulled his hands away, looking hurt. “I did not mean- I only wanted to…” he trailed off and took a step back. “My apologies. I should have sought your consent,” he said, moving back toward the couch.

Zack glared at Cloud and mouthed “What the fuck?” to him. Cloud chose to ignore it and turned away, starting his dishes. He didn’t want to think about how Sephiroth’s broad shoulders slumped and his wings dragged on the floor behind him, nor the way his head hung down…

Behind him, Cloud could hear the faint murmuring of Zack’s voice, and apologetic hum from Sephiroth. As he worked, Cloud felt his energy drain, and it seemed like the world’s colors in his vision turned grayer, less vibrant. His heart ached, like something had been pulled out, leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

 _Same old shit,_ Cloud guessed, trying to ignore the cold void that had opened up. Not just opened, like something had been cut off. A phantom pain of some kind. Disconnection.

Cloud decided he didn’t want to know what it meant.

Instead of doing the dishes, Cloud just filled the sink and “left them to soak” while he stomped off to his room. Getting dressed in fresh clothing, Cloud grabbed his keys and wallet from the pile of his tattered clothes and stormed out. Over his shoulder, he called out that he was going for a walk, leaving Sephiroth under Zack’s care.

Just as he went to close the door, he could hear Zack explain to Sephiroth:

“He’s been like this since his mom passed away. Don’t take it personally.”

Cloud grit his teeth and pulled the door shut behind him. He didn’t want Zack to make excuses for his behavior, but he wouldn’t stop him, either. Cloud knew he had been a terrible person since his mother died. That was why he moved to Edge in the first place - getting away from Nibelheim, getting away from the bad memories. Being away from home, from her, not being there when she died…

Cloud hit the street and swiped a hand over his eyes. He didn’t need to make himself cry, not today. Not while he had a visitor from another planet staying in his apartment. Not when he was kicking himself already for putting that hurt expression on Sephiroth’s face. And especially not when he had Zack there to make excuses for him.

Storming down the street, Cloud made it to the corner and took a deep breath. If he went back now, he’d be facing down Zack’s pitying stare. He hoped Zack wouldn’t leave Sephiroth alone, so he took his time and went one more block over, to Angeal’s bakery. He could smell the warm, inviting scent just as he rounded the corner. It made his stomach growl, reminding him that all he’d eaten so far was a handful of cereal and that cup of stale coffee.

Something from Angeal’s shop would definitely make him feel better. Perhaps Sephiroth should know what his friend had married into.

Angeal had some sort of magic touch when it came to bread and pastries. Just to look at someone as tall and powerful as Angeal, Cloud couldn’t have guessed that his hands kneaded dough and folded delicate pastries as neatly as a sheet of paper. Getting to know him, Cloud figured Angeal must have been a noble knight in another life - it was easier to imagine Angeal carrying a sword than it was watching him carefully plant frosting roses in a sugary garden.

Lingering outside, Cloud hesitated on going into the shop. It was lunch time, and a lot of people were inside. He hoped the crowd would buy him enough time to go in, pick up a box of sweet treats and duck out again. He didn’t need Angeal to see him in his state, nor did he want Genesis to give him shit about leaving Sephiroth alone. He wasn’t _really_ alone, he was-

“Cloud! Would you be so kind?”

Tensing up at his name, Cloud turned to see Genesis. Laden with grocery bags, he approached the shop door at the same time, crowding into the space. Opening the door, Cloud kept his head low, hoping that Genesis and whatever weird angel powers he had wouldn’t work on him.

“Thank you, my dear,” Genesis said. Cloud blinked at the gentle moniker. He usually called him ‘Strife,’ if he referred to him as anything. “What brings you by?”

Swallowing his guilt, Cloud read into the question: _Why are you here and not with Sephiroth?_

“I uh, needed a walk. Zack brought over some books, to see if… I wanted any of them,” he said, picking his words carefully.

Genesis gave Cloud a questioning look. He opend his mouth, ready to say something, but Angeal called out to him from behind the counter.

“There you are, love. Lend a hand?” Angeal said. He boxed up a cake and carefully brought it around the corner for the little old lady purchasing it. He gave her a warm smile and she tottered off, blushing. Genesis greeted his husband with a gentle peck on the cheek as he passed, bringing his bags to the kitchen.

Angeal’s kindness and warmth had always put Cloud at ease. It had made him wonder what he saw in a snippy poet like Genesis. Now that he realized the relationship for what it was, seeing the sense of ease and intimacy between them made jealousy churn in Cloud’s gut.

A little voice, sounding suspiciously like Zack’s, spoke at the back of his mind.

_“You could have that, too, if you stopped being an asshole to whoever got close to you.”_

Cloud rubbed at his face and got in line. He really shouldn’t be buying treats, he reminded himself, not with a busted bike in Cid’s shop. But he _needed_ them. At least something to eat.

Once he got to the counter, Angeal clapped his hands together.

“So, the usual?” Angeal asked. He studied Cloud’s hangdog expression for a moment, raised a brow, but didn’t ask. Instead, he readied a to-go box.

Cloud sighed in relief. Angeal was able to read him, which was exactly why he liked the older man so much. He could bake, but he also knew how to let people be. He wasn’t as nosy as Genesis or Zack.

“Yeah, a bag of your day-olds…” Cloud paused, thinking over his reason for going there. “And a dozen assorted pastries. You know what I like.” _I need comfort,_ Cloud thought to himself. _Good food…_

Angeal’s eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. “Big spender today. Having a friend over?” he asked.

“Uh, yeah, Zack’s over and we’re gonna go through some of his books, maybe watch a movie…” Cloud thumbed at the edge of Angeal’s counter. “Maybe you and Gen could come over when the shop closes?” _Don’t be alone. Don’t isolate yourself,_ he thought, taking a deep breath.

Angeal raised his brow again. Cloud rarely invited the two of them himself, it was usually Zack’s doing.

“Need help corralling Zack?” Angeal continued, boxing up Cloud’s order. He also slid over a bag of day old breads, donuts and bagels. Cloud read into what Angeal wasn’t saying and nodded.

“Um… yeah.” Cloud looked up into Angeal’s eyes and held his gaze for a moment.

Angeal nodded and totaled up Cloud’s order. “Okay. I’ll talk to Gen, see if we can swing by later. Don’t let Zack eat all the sweets. He’ll get sick and Aerith will probably curse your houseplants.”

Cloud chuckled, feeling a little tension loosen in his gut. “Yeah, maybe. See you later.”

“Take care.”

 

Walking back toward his apartment complex, Cloud took a longer route instead of the direct path. As he did, the sound of a car slowing behind him gave him pause. Turning around, a black SUV approached, then slipped by, giving Cloud a brief glimpse of the driver. A man with long, black hair gave him a sideways glance, making Cloud shudder.

Taking a side alleyway, Cloud sat down on a crate and took a few deep breaths. The stink of garbage and dust brought him back into focus before panic set in. Getting to his feet again, Cloud tapped along the wall, knocking a few times until he heard a knock back.

At once, Cloud was greeted by a half dozen faces, all covered in dirt, at least one of them new. Homeless children who lived there in the alleys. He had tried to help them out more than once, he and Tifa coming down with their friend, Barrett. Foster care was difficult in Edge, and some of the teenagers just ran away from the homes and orphanages. After hearing the stories from the kids, Cloud couldn’t blame them for bolting. Gaining their trust had been difficult, but he would rather hand out food than try to usher any of the kids into a place that didn’t want them.

Handing over the bag of treats, Cloud wished could have gotten some clean water for them as well. Other people in the area - Barrett, Aerith - would come through eventually with their own forms of aid. For now, Cloud gave them the leftovers from Angeal’s shop. Once the baker had found out about Cloud’s charity, he made sure to keep an assortment of unsold product on hand.

“Keep your heads low today, alright? Saw a black car on my way here. Dunno if he was following me, but watch out,” Cloud warned. Denzel, one of the older kids Cloud had gotten to know, nodded, promising to keep the younger ones safe.

With the food delivered, Cloud headed home for real. While he did not see the shiny, black SUV again, Cloud still had the feeling of being watched.

Pausing at the building’s front door, Cloud gave a look back to the street. No cars out of the ordinary. However, a couple of guys across the street strolled by, men in suits who didn’t seem familiar to the neighborhood. The redhead seemed to be arguing with a taller, bald man, who said nothing.

Shrugging it off, Cloud went inside, checked his mailbox, then headed up again to his apartment.

 

“Hey.” Cloud entered his apartment slowly. Zack leaned back on his couch, playing a video game. Sephiroth was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s-”

“In your bathroom. Something about grooming,” Zack said, eyes focused on the game.

Sighing, Cloud put down his box of sweets and kicked off his boots. He sank onto the couch beside Zack and covered his face in both hands.

“You smell like cinnamon and garbage. Take the long way home from Angeal’s?” Zack asked. “The kids doing okay?”

“The kids are fine.” Cloud picked at lint on his shirt. “Asked Angeal to come by later.” He looked up, watching Zack driving through an obstacle course of armed guards chasing his character on screen.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Zack.” Cloud continued, staring until the game was out of focus. “I dunno why I agreed to harbor Sephiroth. He should be with Genesis, shouldn’t he?”

“You heard Gen. They’ve got their little lovenest. I don’t think a third wheel would work for them.”

“It’s just that I hurt his feeli-- dammit.” Cloud jumped to his feet when a knock came to the door. Heading over, Cloud peered through the peephole.

Outside the door, the redhead and the bald man from downstairs stood outside, waiting patiently. Until the redhead knocked again.

“Who’s there?” Cloud called, watching through the peephole.

“Trans-United Relocation and Kinship Services. Is this Cloud Strife’s apartment?” said the redhead. He held an ID up just long enough for Cloud to catch a glimpse of an official looking seal, but not enough for Cloud to pick up his name.

Cloud swallowed. TURKS. He didn’t think they’d be onto him. There was no evidence of his involvement… _My bike registry. Shit._

Ensuring the chain was on the door, Cloud opened the door enough so they could see him.

“What can I do for you?” Cloud asked, keeping his tone neutral.

The redhead’s face appeared in the crack of the door. “Hey, man, how’s it going? We got word that you were involved in an accident last night. Your bike was found crashed near the site of a rare meteorite falling, and we wanted to follow up. You know, radiation from foreign materials can cause some health issues…”

“I’m fine,” Cloud said, starting to shut the door.

The bald man pushed on the door to keep it open.

“May we come in?” the bald one asked. Cloud glared up at his sunglasses, seeing his own annoyed face reflected in them.

 _What kind of douchebag wears sunglasses indoors?_ Cloud thought.

“Do you have a warrant? Am I suspected of something?” Cloud demanded.

The redhead pulled on his partner’s arm and stepped into view again.

“Nah, nah, nothing like that. But, if you ever experience any strange symptoms, like nausea, vomiting, migraines, dizziness-” He flicked a card out from his sleeve like a street magician and presented it to Cloud. “You give us a call. We don’t want any sort of panic to occur, now, do we?”

Cloud took the card for a moment, then threw it back out and slammed the door shut.

“Have a nice day!” Cloud snapped. Peering through the peephole again, he watched the redhead make the universal “jerk off” motion with his hand, and the two headed down the hallway and back to the elevator.

Once the elevator shut and Cloud backed away from the door, he jumped in surprise with Sephiroth standing behind him, damp from Cloud’s shower.

“Holy shit!” Cloud put his hands on Sephiroth’s chest, pushing him back gently.

“What happened?” Sephiroth asked. “You look frightened.”

Cloud sighed and shook his head. “I think someone suspects you’re here. Those were TURKS.”

Zack hissed through his teeth. “For real? Did they show you their badges?”

“One of them. Two guys, a redhead and a bald guy who wears sunglasses inside.” Cloud folded his arms over his chest. “There was a car that followed me to the alleyways, too. Black SUV. Guy with long, dark hair that made me feel like I got sent to the principal.”

Zack frowned. “Think they’re watching the place?”

“I dunno,” Cloud said. “Maybe they’re being sincere, maybe they want to do a little alien hunting.”

Sephiroth frowned. “Who are the TURKS?”

Zack patted the couch beside him. “Technically speaking, they’re a branch of the government, I guess. They’re supposedly guys who investigate immigration, smuggling, human trafficking, but… rumor has it they have a department or two that investigates weird shit.”

“Define weird,” Sephiroth said, sitting beside Zack.

Cloud sat on the other side of Sephiroth. “Look, it’ll take too long to really explain… maybe… maybe you should read Zack’s thoughts. He knows more about crazy conspiracies and pop culture nerdery than I do.”

Zack perked up momentarily, then frowned. “Maybe he should read _yours_ ,” Zack said. He gave Cloud a sharp look; Cloud shot it right back to him.

“He doesn’t need to know my bullshit, but I’m sure an alien mind meld with you is the thing of your wildest geek dreams,” Cloud said. “Besides, I don’t smell too great. Need to clear my head.”

Zack’s frown remained, until he turned toward Sephiroth.

“Well, what do you say? Wanna read my thoughts?”

Sephiroth glanced in Cloud’s direction, almost longing, before giving Zack a nod.

“Very well.” Raising his hands, Sephiroth placed his fingertips on Zack’s temples.

Cloud got up from the couch and headed for his room, finding himself unable to watch. Shutting the bedroom door, Cloud leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees. Breathing slowly, Cloud shook the negative thoughts from his friend.

_Better that he learns from someone like Zack. Not me._

Gathering clothes for his shower, Cloud paused at his dresser. A photo of himself and his mother sat on top, a gift from Claudia just before the accident. In it, he was a young boy, smiling bright, missing two teeth and covered in bandages.

Wondering where that kid and his sense of joy had gone, Cloud laid the frame down on its face and sniffled.

“The kid’s dead,” he murmured to himself.

Heading to his bathroom, Cloud ignored Zack and Sephiroth at his couch. He could feel his eyes burning and the sensation of tears forming at the corners. Turning on the shower, Cloud barely waited for the temperature to reach a comfortable level before he stripped and hopped into the tepid water.

Cool water ran over his head, slowly warming his skin as the temperature rose. Hot enough to form steam, Cloud stood under the shower head, letting it pour over him while he rested his forehead against his arms.

 _Mom, I’m so sorry. I should have stayed around. I could have gotten you out of there…_ he thought. Sobs shook his body as he stood there, grieving. He beat a fist against the wall until his hand went numb. After a few minutes longer, he then scrubbed himself quickly, rinsing off with equal speed. Turning off the shower, he stood there, dripping for a few moments before drying off and pulling on his boxers.

Outside the bathroom, Cloud met two sets of eyes watching him. Zack’s brow was furrowed, and Sephiroth lingered in the kitchenette.

Marching over to the couch, Cloud bumped up against Zack’s side and grabbed the controller from his hands.

“My turn,” Cloud said, starting a new round of the game on screen.

“Have a little trouble in there?” Zack asked.

From the corner of his eye, Cloud could see Zack sat stiff, a full line of tension through his body. Ignoring the question, Cloud continued to play as if his right arm weren’t aching with fresh bruises.

The couch beside Cloud shifted as Sephiroth took a seat. He placed three cans of soda on the table, one for each of them. Cloud could feel eyes on him from both sides and inched forward in his seat.

“Maybe I should order a pizza. You feel like pizza?” he asked, turning slightly toward Zack without facing him.

“I dunno, man. Might be up for subs. Tifa makes a mean sandwich,” Zack replied, voice quiet.

“Cloud, you’re hurt,” Sephiroth said, not taking the hint.

“What else is new?” Cloud quipped.

Sephiroth sighed and yanked the controller from Cloud’s hands. The character on screen veered off course, the motorcycle driving straight into a wall. Cloud yelped in protest, finding himself enveloped in long, muscular arms and pulled from his seat.

“Hey! Put me down!” Cloud struggled against Sephiroth’s inhuman strength, wriggling like a landed fish.

“You need comfort, and deny your friends the chance to help.” Sephiroth nudged open Cloud’s bedroom door and dropped him onto his bed. “Zack’s thoughts are riddled with worry and love.”

“I thought your people didn’t _know_ love,” Cloud snapped.

A pained look flitted over Sephiroth’s features as he climbed onto the bed, straddling Cloud’s legs with his own. Cloud slapped up at Sephiroth, only to have his hands be caught and pushed down with gentle force.

“We do not know it as you do. But I can still _feel_ things. Before you asked that I sever our connection, I felt your bonds with Zack and the others, and now I feel Zack’s bond with you. You are loved, Cloud. That is a rare privilege, in my eyes.”

Cloud pinched his lips together and stopped trying to squirm away from Sephiroth. He knew he was right, but it felt so hard to believe.

“I shouldn’t be… my mother-”

“I understand it was an accident,” Sephiroth said. His deep voice grew soft, and he tipped his head down. “You are not to blame.”

“I told her I had to get away from her, that she was smothering me, trying to--” Cloud gulped and started tearing up again. “That she was trying to make me someone I’m not.”

Sephiroth leaned onto his good side and let Cloud go.

“Did she know about-”

“Yeah, I told her I was gay when I stormed out.” Cloud rolled onto his side and rubbed at his face. “I’m sorry. I just… I have a lot of shit going on and I took it out on you. I mean, you’re an alien…”

Drawing Cloud into the bundle of his arms, Sephiroth pulled Cloud up to his chest.

“I did not mean to attempt a bond against your will. But I did like what I got to experience.”

Cloud sniffed and looked up at Sephiroth. “You did? Really?”

Sephiroth smiled, warm and forgiving. _Don’t deserve that…_ Cloud’s thoughts intruded, but this time, he stomped them down.

“I felt the kindness you try to show others, even if you do not allow it for yourself. The… love… you have is great and beautiful.” Sephiroth pushed long fingers through tufts of damp hair. “Just brushing the surface was… inspiring.”

Cloud felt his face heat up. “I impressed an alien space prince?”

The warm chuckle that rumbled through Sephiroth made Cloud’s heart flutter.

“I do not think my title is that impressive, but if the knowledge of such satisfies you, you can continue to call me that. I do prefer my name, however.”

Cloud nodded, drawing silent.

At the door, Zack cleared his throat. Cloud peeked over the mountain range of Sephiroth’s shoulder and glared at him. Zack leaned in the doorway, looking smug.

“How come, whenever _I_ throw you around, I get punched in the head? But when _he_ does it, you end up all cute and cuddly?” Zack asked. “It’s because I’m not a hot alien space prince, isn’t it?”

“Yep. That’s it. You got me,” Cloud deadpanned.

Beside him, Sephiroth chuckled again.

The warm flourish of Sephiroth smiling beside him made Cloud’s stomach do a backflip. He could get used to the image: Sephiroth, warm and relaxed, cradling him and bringing him back from a depressive spiral. He had no real reason to do so, but Sephiroth seemed to care for him.

Was it because of the “bond” they had experienced?

Flopping down beside Sephiroth again, Cloud traced along the curve of his collarbone with the tips of his fingers. Sephiroth hummed and closed his eyes, relishing in the contact.

“You know… my brain’s kind of fucked up,” Cloud murmured. “Probably not the best to be bonded to.”

“I disagree. Many people are a maelstrom of emotions, myself included,” Sephiroth replied.

Staring at him for the metaphor, Cloud gave Sephiroth a wry smile. “You couldn’t have enjoyed the last day’s worth of my shit. You probably wouldn’t-”

“Cloud.” Sephiroth opened his eyes. They flashed brilliantly before settling to a less powerful glow. “If you wish to reopen the bond, you need merely ask. If I were to find your thoughts unsettling, I would have cut you off yesterday. I do have the power to choose whom I am bonded with as well.”

“...Oh.” Cloud felt his face heat up again. Did that mean Sephiroth felt it when he entertained a daydream? Would he continue to?

“If you’re concerned enough to hesitate, then I won’t do it. I wouldn’t want to impose on you more than I have.”

Zack piped up from the door. “Take it from me, man. He’s being sincere.”

Cloud sat up and pushed his hands through his hair, letting the bangs pop back into place.

“Let me think about it, okay? I just… I’m still trying to adjust to the whole alien space prince idea. Emotional bonds are-”

“Okay, okay.” Zack backed away from the door. “It really is something else when you’re aware of it, though.” He moved away, calling back. “I’m getting party subs and you can’t stop me!”

Chuckling softly, Cloud rubbed at his eyes. Zack was the best kind of friend he could ask for - even consoled him when Cloud admitted to once having a crush on Zack. When Zack turned him down, he at least made sure that Cloud knew he wasn’t getting rejected as a friend, and they remained close ever since.

Sephiroth sat up beside Cloud, draping an arm across his shoulders. Cloud let the weight push him into Sephiroth’s side. Maybe he wouldn’t have what Angeal and Genesis had, but he could have this. Sephiroth allowed it.

“Do you really think I’m special?” Cloud asked. He closed his mouth and dropped his head down. “You don’t have to answer-”

“I do,” Sephiroth nodded. “When you are ready to feel it from me again, I will be more than happy to bond.”

Cloud smiled and got to his feet. “C’mon, let’s go stop Zack,” he said, extending his hand to Sephiroth. “He’ll make you eat this gross mountain of hot peppers and onions slathered in mayonnaise if we’re not there to order.”

Sephiroth smiled, and took Cloud’s hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Depression is a bitch, and Cloud is no stranger to it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sephiroth is getting better; he meets another one of Cloud's friends.

“I don’t think Cloud likes me.”

Genesis looked up from where he stood behind Sephiroth. He paused in grooming Sephiroth’s injured wing, carefully plucking blood feathers and clipping bent pinions. While the initial tears in his skin had closed and the bone seemed to set properly, it would take a molt cycle to have Sephiroth in flight condition again.

Staying silent for a moment, Genesis hummed low in his throat.

“Humans are complicated little things.”

Sephiroth’s shoulders drooped further and he pulled one leg up to rest his cheek on his knee.

Genesis took a step back and put aside the grooming tools; fortunately, Gaea had fairly large birds in Chocobos, and thus humans had invented new ways to care for their feathered friends. Finding proper tools for wing maintenance was hardly an issue, and raised little suspicion.

Circling Sephiroth, Genesis stood before him. With Cloud resuming his job, Genesis arranged to look in on Sephiroth and tend to health concerns Cloud was ill-equipped for. Free to do as they pleased, Genesis had shut all the curtains and stripped of his clothing. Nudity was a taboo to humans, but Genesis had learned to love clothing, adorning himself in flashy colors and soft materials. Sephiroth still needed time to adjust, so Genesis did his best to make his old friend comfortable.

What he could not do, was speak for the little blond making Sephiroth miserable.

“Why do you think he dislikes you?” Genesis asked.

“He still refuses to bond with me.” Sephiroth plucked at a pinfeather stuck to his silvery locks and sighed. “I thought, since pulling away, that he might warm up to the idea again, now that I have proven myself capable of tending to his dwelling…”

“Oh, Sephiroth…” Genesis moved forward and wrapped his arms around Sephiroth’s shoulders. Extending his auburn wings, Genesis stretched them into the embrace; Sephiroth hummed his appreciation.

“As I said, humans are incredibly complex little creatures. They value independence in spite of their community, care for one and fight with another. I spent many cycles alone, just observing them… until I found Angeal.” Genesis chuckled and stroked Sephiroth’s hair. “I think I accidentally started a legend in the countryside.”

Sephiroth pulled back and pouted up at Genesis.

“They call me the Birdman of Banora,” Genesis said, smiling. When it still failed to lighten Sephiroth’s mood, he sighed. “What I have observed, is that you can’t just  _ make _ a human do anything. They are born to resist. We are made to comply - at least we  _ were _ . I thought my running from home made me strange, and now you’re here. You’ve yet to explain yourself, my friend.”

Genesis drew away slowly, Sephiroth allowing it as he stood and flexed all of his limbs. Observing the stiffness in his left wing, Genesis moved to stand behind him.

“Well?”

Sephiroth hesitated, pulling his long hair over his shoulder and combing through it with his fingers.

“Mother had my wives chosen, and I didn’t like them,” Sephiroth said.

Genesis felt the waves of uncertainty roll through Sephiroth’s aura, the words weightier than what a human could observe. It was the tremor in his hands, the way the feathers pulled in, tight and flat, as if he were trying to make himself smaller.

“You could have chosen new wives,” Genesis prompted, though he felt something more was being unsaid - and he needed Sephiroth to admit it aloud. Something Genesis himself had struggled with until he came to Gaea.

“I didn’t want any.” Sephiroth’s voice lowered, practically a hum of nothing, not even their language of song. “I…”

Genesis smoothed his hands between Sephiroth’s wings in a placating gesture, waiting.

“I observed… my… my guardians.”

“You saw them often,” Genesis said. He felt like he was pulling tiny threads with tweezers. He just needed to find the right one to unravel the conversation. Sephiroth had always been quiet, hardly ever lending his voice to song. Contemplation had been a stronger suit for him, but Genesis had thought it merely the wisdom of Sephiroth’s station.

Only now, many cycles later, could he understand.

“They were… rutting.” Sephiroth said. He took a deep breath and composed himself.

“Dominance display?” Genesis guessed.

Sephiroth huffed, peeking over his shoulder. “ _ No. _ ” His face flushed soft pink, and he looked away quickly. “Not mating, just… what word… they were fucking.”

And there it was. Genesis smiled in satisfaction and folded his arms, leaning against Sephiroth’s back.

“Liked what you saw, did you? The rare affection between two males, not for breeding and survival, but for pure satisfaction of the act,” Genesis said. “Something you’re not allowed to have as Progenitor King.” Pausing, he amended, “Unless you’re  _ into  _ mating until your dick falls off.”

Sephiroth moved out from under Genesis’ arms quickly, causing Genesis to nearly topple onto his face. He caught his balance just as Sephiroth turned around, looking at him with such sadness and confusion that Genesis felt bad for teasing him. Tears formed at the corners of his brilliant eyes, shimmering like glass against his flushed skin.

“Sephiroth, I didn’t-”

“No, I…” Sephiroth pulled at his hair and brushed it out of his face. “They were punished in front of me.”

Genesis frowned. Rutting, mating, dominance displays or even sex for pleasure was not  _ really  _ forbidden, regardless of genders or even numbers involved. The only major crime - to their kind - was murder.

“Why?”

Rubbing at his face, Sephiroth shook his head.

“For doing it in front of me.” Sephiroth’s gaze went unfocused as he recalled the memory. “They said it was for putting foolish ideas in my head, for not observing the mourning rituals… I…” Sephiroth’s breath hitched and his eyes focused on Genesis’ face. “They -  _ he _ said I shouldn’t observe such things, to not call my mating into question.”

Genesis swallowed hard. Only one from their home could put a look of fear onto Sephiroth’s face. Sephiroth’s mentor, a fierce and cruel tutor from a cousin species to their own.

“Hojo.”

Sephiroth dropped his arms and nodded.

Hojo was a member of the Harpy Wards, a fearsome species more bestial than their own.

Rather than proper wings on their backs, a Harpy’s wings and arms were one. Their legs ended in clawed feet and scales. For steerage, feathered tails sprouted from their backs. Smaller than the “Angels” and younger as a species, Harpies had found their place as swift messengers and guerrilla fighters when times had been more troubling on their home planet. Always an ally to the Angels, but also treated as secondary. Harpies had no need for the caste Angels had made for themselves, as their numbers had rarely dwindled to dangerous lows.

Hojo came from a line of advisers to the Progenitor class, one of the oldest living Harpies Sephiroth had ever known. To his credit, Hojo had ensured Sephiroth would be a fierce warrior in his own right and educated Sephiroth on his role as Progenitor King.

Genesis swallowed. If Hojo had gotten involved…

“What happened?”

“He had them torn apart.”

Genesis bristled. “By whom?”

“Weiss.”

Growling, Genesis pulled Sephiroth into an embrace. Weiss was Hojo’s pet bastard - a Harpy-Angel half breed that made him large, powerful and grotesquely muscular. He had the viciousness of the Harpies and the strength of the Angels. Rumor had it that Hojo had orchestrated his breeding to have the perfect guardian in his advanced age. Weiss was a weapon, and he seemed to revel in that fact.

Sephiroth buried his face in Genesis’ shoulder.

“Why did you leave?” Sephiroth asked.

The pain in his voice made Genesis feel guilty for running away.

“Because no one wanted me,” Genesis murmured. “I’m too small, not nearly as strong… I was jealous…” Sephiroth hugged him harder and Genesis closed his eyes. “I should have known you were never my competitor.”

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too. I’m sorry I left.”

Sephiroth pushed away, putting Genesis at arm’s length. “I’m not. Hojo would have gone for you next, I know it. You were too close… and I think he’s the reason Mother is dead.”

Genesis took Sephiroth’s face in his hands. “Sephiroth, do you know this to be true? Why didn’t you speak up to the other clans? Surely, they would have backed  _ you… _ ”

“Because I don’t care!”

Genesis stepped back, a hand over his heart. “Sephiroth-”

“They wanted more babies, more Progenitors. I’m meant to breed, not to lead. If they want Hojo to do it, he can have it.” Sephiroth closed his wings around himself until he was buried in a cocoon of black. “I like it here.”

Genesis scoffed, uneasy, but understanding. “And you’ve only seen what Cloud’s mind can show you. When your wing heals, I can take you flying.”

After a moment, Sephiroth peeked out. “Do you think Cloud would like flying?”

Smiling, Genesis reached into the cocoon and gently pried Sephiroth’s wings apart.

“Why the obsession with your little human? He’s adorable, I’ll grant you that, but if you think he doesn’t like you…”

“I felt his heart, Genesis. It’s sad, but…”

Genesis took a deep breath and leaned in, pressing his forehead to Sephiroth’s. They stood there a moment, breathing until Sephiroth’s mood had settled. When Genesis felt he could let go, he pulled back to redress.

“You needn’t explain yourself to me. But, perhaps, ease into things with Cloud. He’s very stubborn, even for a human. How has he treated you thus far?”

Sephiroth stooped to pick up the drawstring pants he borrowed from Angeal.

“He sometimes stops to watch me. I think he is trying to figure me out, as much as I am trying to understand him and human culture. I think he… wishes to protect me, but fears driving me away… that, I do not understand.” Sephiroth paused to pull the pants up and tie them off.

“Zack has given me some insight, but it’s all  _ his _ perspective, and he thinks the world of Cloud.”

Genesis smirked and clasped his halter top around his neck, the shirt hardly obscuring where his wings would unfurl.

“Of course he does. Zack is a loving young man. Unfortunately for Cloud, Zack’s going to be quite busy, soon…” Genesis said. “Having you around could help him with the loneliness he’s going to feel.”

Sephiroth tilted his head, curious as to Genesis’ meaning. Instead of answering, Genesis gestured for Sephiroth to follow him to the couch.

“If you ever meet his mate, you’ll figure it out.”

Cloud came home some twenty minutes later, laden with groceries and filthy from work at Cid’s shop. Sephiroth leaped up to help him with his bags, having learned where everything goes in his time spent in Cloud’s apartment.

As they began to unpack, Genesis swept by the kitchen counter and picked up his jacket.

“Well, I’ve a husband to tend to, now that I’ve mother-henned your pet bird. Have a good evening,” Genesis said as he swanned out the front door.

“I’m not your pet…” Sephiroth grumbled.

Cloud snorted and took off his jacket. Sephiroth turned and closed his wings around himself, overwhelmed. Cloud always smelled like oil, metal and burnt things when he came home from work, not to mention the ashes of his boss’ cigarettes. Sephiroth’s sense of smell was stronger than a human’s, and normally the smell would bother him, but today…

“What did you do at work?” Sephiroth asked, meticulously folding one of the paper bags up and smoothing it flat.

He could feel Cloud staring at him as he answered.

“More grunt work, really. Had to rebuild an engine… damn thing almost hit me when one of ties snapped. I thought Cid was gonna take Oscar’s head off.” Cloud’s voice drifted closer as he moved nearer to Sephiroth.

“Are you okay?” he said to the wall of feathers greeting him. “Do I stink that bad?”

Sephiroth cleared his throat. “No!” Pausing, he added a soft “yes” at the back of his throat.

Silence met Sephiroth’s ears, and the blood rushing through them. His wings were pulled open like a curtain, Cloud standing on the other side with a look of confusion on his face.

“Seph?”

Grunting, Sephiroth flicked his wings back, wafting away the scent of sweat and adrenaline. He pushed past Cloud and over to the living room, pulling open a window. He stuck his head outside and took deep breaths of the city. Fresh air, blended with the bite of gravel and dust, made sour by the exhaust of city vehicles brought Sephiroth down from the dizzying high he had reached.

Flopping down by the open window, Sephiroth leaned against the wall, wings spread flat behind him.

Cloud stared at him with an eyebrow raised.

“I’m gonna take a shower…” he said, thumbing toward the bathroom. “Glad… um… glad to see your wing’s looking better.”

Sephiroth nodded and folded his arms over his bent knees. He dropped his head down, listening carefully as he heard Cloud grabbing clean clothes. He didn’t move from his spot until he heard the shower going.

Getting up again, he went into the kitchen area and started preparing food. It was something that became his duty while staying with Cloud those few weeks, and gave him time to think.

_Am I getting this way because I was thinking of those guards? Cloud can’t possibly smell that good after a hard day…_ Sephiroth began chopping vegetables and slicing meat. The various books from Zack’s mate had provided both adequate reading material as well as lessons on preparing human food, which Sephiroth found he enjoyed.

Especially when Cloud’s face lit up after trying Sephiroth’s first dish.

“Cloud…” Sephiroth sighed, thinking back on his earlier actions. He was acting like a fledgling, losing control like that. It wasn’t even the urge to mate - his kind did not have those kinds of responses anymore. He had just wanted to be closer, but Cloud had made it clear that he had boundaries.

_ I don’t want to leave, but maybe I should… _

Sephiroth’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. The shower had gone off, but he could not hear Cloud responding to it. Trying out his magic again, Sephiroth pulled in his wings and rubbed at his eyes, trying to will them to a “normal” human appearance. A moment to check his reflection in a steel mixing bowl - he passed quite well for a human - and Sephiroth went to answer the door.

First peering through the peephole, Sephiroth saw a tall, human woman with a strong, curvy body. Not seeing anyone who fit Cloud’s description of the TURKS, Sephiroth carefully opened the door, the chain holding fast.

“Hello?”

The woman looked down and then up sharply.  _ She must have been expecting Cloud to answer, _ he thought, as he took in her face. Warm, brown eyes and long, dark hair to match framed a lovely face. He could sense confusion radiating off her, but also curiosity.

“Um… hi?” The woman looked at the door again, then at Sephiroth. “Where’s Cloud?”

“He is showering. Can I help you?”

The woman balked, giving Sephiroth another look over. He looked down, trying to follow her puzzled look. He flicked a bit of flour off his stomach - he did not realize he was so messy.

“Who are you?” she asked.

Sephiroth worried at his bottom lip with his teeth. Fumbling between the truth and a lie, Sephiroth just blurted out his name.

“Sephiroth,” she repeated. “My name’s Tifa. You and Cloud… Close?”

“I… don’t think so,” Sephiroth said, remembering to parse the colloquialism. “I am his friend.”

Tifa’s face lightened, shifting from mounting suspicion to sudden awe. Giddy joy tinged her aura, shutting down the curiosity with realization.

“Ohhhhhhhhhh! His  _ friend _ .”

Sephiroth squinted at her through the small crack, trying to assess her meaning.

“Yes. I have been staying with him for a brief while.”

Tifa smirked, hands on her hips. “Really, now. How did you meet?”

“I crashed into him.”

“Sephiroth!”

Cloud’s voice had Sephiroth turning from the door. Cloud, clad only in his boxers, shut the door, unchained it, and reopened it, putting himself between Sephiroth and Tifa.

“Tifa, hey, um… sorry, I meant to call,” Cloud said, holding the door open just enough for Tifa to squeeze through.

Sephiroth looked between them, a brow raised. Tifa looked positively  _ smug  _ as she glanced over Cloud, then put her gaze on Sephiroth.

“You could have told me you had someone move in. I’m not gonna start upcharging you just because you’ve got a roommate. A pretty hot one at that,” Tifa said, winking at Sephiroth. Sephiroth stared back, at a loss.

Cloud backed into Sephiroth and looked up. Sephiroth put his hands on Cloud’s shoulders, steadying him.

“I-we’re not like that- I--”Cloud stammered.

Tifa shook her head and waved off whatever explanation Cloud was trying to offer.

“Cloud, we’re not in Nibelheim anymore. You know I’m cool with whoever you date. I just wish you had  _ told  _ me, so I can meet him properly.”

Tifa strolled past the pair of them toward the kitchenette, inspecting the meal in progress.

“And he cooks!” she exclaimed. “Explains the flour…” she said, examining the ingredients. “Is this Nibel stew? I’m impressed.”

Sephiroth puffed up, wincing when he couldn’t fluff his wings with mounting pride. The muscles in his back tensed with exertion of trying to keep them hidden.

“I’m a fast learner,” Sephiroth said.

Cloud looked back at Sephiroth, then did a double take. He looked behind Sephiroth, then up again, studying his eyes.

Sephiroth smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Zack encouraged me to feed him better, and I have. He has done a lot for me, and I wish to return the favor,” Sephiroth continued. Cloud blushed and looped an arm around Sephiroth’s waist. His own heart fluttered with the contact.

Tifa’s gaze on them softened, and she headed back toward the door.

“Okay, okay, I know when I’m the odd woman out.” Tifa grabbed the door handle. “I’ll leave you two to your evening. Come down to the bar Saturday, I’d love to get to know him,” Tifa said as she shut the door behind her.

As soon as it was shut, Sephiroth heaved a sigh of relief, his wings manifesting once more and the illusion over his eyes receding.

“How-are you-” Cloud took a deep breath. “Your wing really must be getting better if you could hide it that long, yeah?”

Sephiroth rubbed at his temples and nodded. “Yes. The muscle is stiff and new feathers will have to regrow, but I will be able to fly again. At least, Genesis believes so.”

Cloud folded his arms over his chest. “Huh.”

“You were not offended by Tifa’s assumptions of us?”

Shaking his head, Cloud sighed. “No, it’s not a bad assumption. I just… if you really were-”

“If I were what? Your mate?”

“Boyfriend.”

“If I were your boyfriend…”

“I don’t think you’d be.”

Cloud’s odd phrasing made Sephiroth frown. “I don’t understand.”

“Nevermind. I’m just… you need help with dinner?”

“No, it is fine. I can handle it. You get dressed and relax.”

“Okay.”

Cloud hesitated on leaving and stood nearby, watching Sephiroth continue his work on their dinner. Sephiroth peeked at him from between his bangs, but disconnected from him, he could only guess something still bothered Cloud.

“Hey…” Cloud said, moving close to the counter again. “After dinner, I wanna show you something.”

The tension in Sephiroth’s stomach eased at that. Perhaps nothing was wrong; Sephiroth just didn’t understand how to read humans as well as he’d hoped.

“Of course. Whatever you want.”

“It’s not just for me,” Cloud said quickly. “I think you’ll like it.”

Sephiroth puzzled over the vague clue all through making and eating dinner. They cleaned up together, and once things were set to dry, Cloud took Sephiroth’s hand.

“Think you can hide your wings for a bit? Maybe five minutes?”

Nodding, Sephiroth closed his eyes and focused. The muscles in his back strained, then the wings vanished from Cloud’s sight. The pain was not entirely gone, but it would take time before he was able to fly again, or hide them as long as Genesis could.

“C’mon.” Cloud took Sephiroth’s hand while his eyes were still closed and led him to the door.

“You’re taking me out?” Sephiroth gasped. “I thought-”

“Well, they’re hidden, and we’re not going far.” Cloud’s face turned a soft pink as he squeezed Sephiroth’s hand. Sephiroth squeezed back, indicating his trust.

“Okay.”

Cloud led Sephiroth into the hallway, making a wide sweep of the area. Once he seemed satisfied that his neighbors were occupied in their apartments, Cloud tugged Sephiroth along, to an elevator door. He pressed the UP arrow, then slipped a keyring from his pocket and fiddled with it in his free hand.

“Where are we going?”

“The roof,” Cloud said. He looked at his blurry reflection instead of at Sephiroth.

“The roof?”

“Yeah. Just… you’ll see.”

Sephiroth nodded, curious as to what Cloud meant to show him. Once the elevator pinged and they were inside, Cloud inserted a brass key into a lock labeled “Roof Access - MAINTENANCE” and turned it.

As they headed up to the top of the apartment building, Sephiroth’s heart began to pound. It would be the first time he’d been outside since he brought Cloud home. Even though Cloud said that no one seemed to follow him lately, Sephiroth had to wonder if it was safe to be seen.

“You in there?” Cloud asked.

Sephiroth squeezed Cloud’s hand again when he realized he was still holding it.

“You have my interest,” he replied. “You’re being very secretive, but I trust you.” He smiled to emphasize his point.

Cloud’s face turned pink again and he dropped his head.

“It’s a surprise. Here.”

Once the doors slid open, another metal door sat at the end of a short hallway, which Cloud also unlocked. Letting go of Sephiroth’s hand, he leaned his weight into the door, pushing it open with his shoulder.

Warm gravel met Sephiroth’s bare feet as he stepped through the door after Cloud, peering around cautiously. The rooftop was flat, set with several large pots of greenery. At the far side, a table and chairs looked over the city. They also happened to face the setting sun, which painted the sky in blues, oranges and purples.

Sephiroth took a deep breath. Up there, the pollution of the city felt less choking than when Cloud opened the windows. The sunset was beautiful, different from what he had seen at home, with a few bright stars standing out in the early evening sky. A wind picked up his hair and pushed it back from his face; Sephiroth closed his eyes and combed his fingers through it, taking a deep breath of fresh air.

Cloud’s voice broke through his reverie.

“Wow.”

Sephiroth turned to see Cloud standing behind him, staring and slack-jawed.

“Is something wrong?” Sephiroth turned back toward the sunset, feeling the lingering rays warm his skin, wishing he could fly out and catch an updraft, just to let it carry him away so he could explore.

“You just… you look happy,” Cloud said, moving to stand beside him. “Think I get why you don’t cage wild birds…”

Sephiroth chuckled and placed a hand on Cloud’s shoulder. “Perhaps there’s a future for you in avian rescue and rehabilitation,” he said.

Cloud snorted and looked up at him. “Was that a joke?”

Smiling, Sephiroth shrugged. “Perhaps. Was it funny?”

Cloud laughed harder and bumped against his side. “At least I know I can handle big, exotic birds.”

“Because you look like one?” Sephiroth had turned to face him, a mischievous smirk on his lips.

“ _ You _ have been spending far too much time with Zack,” Cloud replied, feigning offense. He turned to square off with Sephiroth, looking up at him and holding his hands on his hips.

“Say you’re sorry.”

Sephiroth shook his head and folded his arms over his chest. Cloud’s defiant grin made Sephiroth’s stomach leap. Confidence looked good on Cloud.

“No.”

“Apologize.”

“Never.”

Cloud raised a hand and poked Sephiroth in the chest.

“Say you’re sorry,” he breathed, face flushing red. “Or I’ll make you.”

“Then you’ll have to…mmm…”

Sephiroth’s words died on his tongue as Cloud pushed up into his space, lips firm against his own. In his shock, Sephiroth’s mouth fell open, and his arms dropped. He felt Cloud pulling back, a lick of uncertainty flashing across his perception. Sephiroth wrapped his arms around Cloud, pulling him back for more.

Cloud groaned and pushed up against him; Sephiroth responded by lifting Cloud off his feet, holding tight. Cloud’s lips parted and the slide of his tongue made Sephiroth jump, pulling back to look down into Cloud’s flushed face.

“No good?” Cloud panted, his eyelids drooping slightly.

“I… no one’s ever kissed me like this.”

“Your people do kiss?”

“Not like- I’m unmated.”

Cloud blinked a few times, nodding.

“Right, right…” Cloud’s weight began to sag in Sephiroth’s arms, and for a moment, Sephiroth thought he’d done something wrong.

“I’m sorry,” Sephiroth said, letting Cloud to his feet.

Wavering close, Cloud slid his hands down over Sephiroth’s arms and took his hands.

“I think I moved a little too fast for you,” Cloud said. “I shouldn’t-”

“I don’t mind. I like you.” Sephiroth picked up Cloud’s hands and held them close to his face, kissing the tips of his fingers. “I have since we met. I consider myself very fortunate to have found you,” he murmured, closing his eyes. “Even if our meeting was… a disaster.”

Sephiroth could hear Cloud swallowing and he opened his eyes once more to look down at Cloud.

“I wouldn’t mind if we did that again, now that I know what to expect.”

Cloud nodded, mute and back to wide-eyed, open mouthed surprise.

Sephiroth ducked his head and kissed Cloud again, a quick peck his intent, until Cloud caught him and pulled him in for more. Sephiroth’s aura pushed out, seeking the empty link from Cloud, finding him still pulled back and distant.

Breaking the kiss, Sephiroth did his best to hide his hurt. He wanted to pour his affection into Cloud, tell him without words that he was not as bad as his head told him sometimes, that the doubt and sadness that radiated off of Cloud was all lies. But, he couldn’t, not without violating his promise to keep them apart.

“Maybe we should be… slow…” Sephiroth suggested, licking his lips. He felt a mix of pride and frustration as Cloud watched his mouth hungrily.

_ I want you to know what you mean to me… _ Sephiroth thought.

“I can do slow,” Cloud said, though the warm flush of his cheeks suggested that he really didn’t.

“You’re very frustrating,” Sephiroth blurted out. He closed his mouth and pressed his lips into a line. “That’s not what I mean.”

Cloud snorted and pulled Sephiroth down so his forehead touched Cloud’s in a familiar gesture.

“Tell me about it. Because I still don’t get what a gorgeous space angel would want with me.”

Growling at the back of his throat, Sephiroth picked Cloud up off his feet and held him close.

“I might want everything, you know,” he muttered, burying his face in Cloud’s neck.

“What if I don’t give you everything?”

“Whatever you’re willing to give me, I will take, gladly. If you don’t want me around, I’ll leave.”

“Just like that?”

“Yes.”

Cloud drooped a little in Sephiroth’s arms, then hitched his legs up and around Sephiroth’s waist, clinging to him like a child.

“I don’t want you to go,” Cloud said.

Sephiroth squeezed his arms around Cloud. Risking been seen, he unfolded his wings and curled them over, cloaking Cloud in feathers.

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Genesis adopts shiny things like any good birb.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cid decides to vet Cloud's new boyfriend with dinner at his place. Vincent is mysterious, Shera is chipper. Sephiroth, understandably, is nervous...

Cid Highwind considered himself a lucky man. Despite an injury on his first space mission grounding him for life, he had a lot going for him. The bad knee from his injury didn’t haunt him, only serving as a reminder for his own ego, to check himself when someone contradicted him.

Like Shera, his first love. She had told him that his rocket wasn’t ready to go, but Cid had insisted, knowing his math was right. Metal fatigue proved him wrong, and Cid had spent much of his miserable recovery time coming up with an apology to Shera. He was lucky to be alive, and if Shera hadn’t intervened, he would only exist as a memorial to a failed space program.

It wasn’t until he fell in love again that Cid realized his affair with Lady Luck had little to do with what he wanted, but what he sorely  _ needed _ . While Shera was every bit his intellectual equal as a wife, the mysterious professor of mythology at the local college reminded Cid of why he loved space at all. 

Vincent Valentine had a doctorate in history, a masters in mythology; he was beautifully aloof and marvelously quirky. He knew the basic science of astrophysics, but read his horoscope every morning. He consulted the news for weather updates and tarot cards for important decisions. Cid wanted to laugh at Vincent’s mercurial nature, but instead became fascinated. As had Shera, when both she and Vincent finally met. The fact that they quickly became best friends told Cid he was truly fortunate; Shera kept him grounded, Vincent kept him loving the stars.

It was Cid’s good fortune in having two wonderful spouses that made him particularly meddlesome in Cloud’s love life. The kid was an ace mechanic, and if Cloud would let him, Cid would turn over control of the auto shop to Cloud’s care. Cid had plenty of other engineering businesses to run, and he trusted Cloud. The kid was practically family.

Which was how he noticed Cloud’s particularly peculiar behavior over the last few weeks. Ever since he’d been in that accident, he acted weird. Not ‘take him to the emergency room for a CAT scan’ weird, but what could be “off-brand” for Cloud’s usually moody air. He looked healthier, his skin richer pink in tone - even Cloud’s spiky hair seemed extra fluffy.

Cloud sat at a work table he and Cid shared, drawing up an inventory list for a repair job. Not so unusual, except Cloud was humming along with Cid’s music - something he normally complained about for being “old fashioned.” 

Sitting up on his workstool, Cid arched his back and felt something crack back into place. Grunting through the pop, Cid rubbed at his stomach, watching Cloud carefully. He wanted to address the elephant in the room - Cloud’s mood was the best it had been in years - but sometimes getting personal with the boss wasn’t in the cards with Cloud.

“So… anything new lately?” Cid asked.

Cloud glanced up from the inventory list with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah. Got a roommate.”

“ _ Roommate _ , huh? Like, the furry kind, or-”

Cloud snorted and tried to hide a smile in his shoulder. “Not a pet. His name’s Sephiroth.”

“Oh?” Cid leaned forward, sensing something more. “Is he cute?”

“Cid!” Cloud sat up and blushed, looking away. “That’s not work appropriate.”

Cid folded over laughing. “Since when have you given a shit about workplace banter?”

Cloud folded his arms over his chest as the red flush crept up to his ears and down his neck. “Only since you decided to start hounding me about my love life.”

Cid waved his hand. “Fine, fine. But, you know you gotta bring him around now. Vince’s cooking this weekend, let your family vet him. Even if you’re  _ only _ roommates, you boys gotta eat.”

Cloud looked back at Cid, the blush cooling off to just the color of his cheeks.

“I’ll talk to him about it.”

 

Cloud regretted talking to Sephiroth about it. Eager to get out of the house with his wing on the mend, Sephiroth grew excited to get to know “Cloud’s adoptive brood,” wanting to learn more about humans and how a trio of them lived together.

At least taking him shopping was worthwhile. Sephiroth enjoyed seeing so many people - and a lot of people gave the tall, curious and gorgeous man more than a once-over. A few interested eyes gobbled up Sephiroth’s lean, muscular form, only to turn jealous when Sephiroth pulled Cloud up close to have something explained to him. It tickled a bit of Cloud’s ego to see people give him the stink-eye for having snatched someone like Sephiroth from their possible grasp.

Sephiroth’s curiosity was endearing; he certainly seemed to like learning about humans by being among them. Sephiroth was more interested in interaction instead of burning through the piles of books Zack had brought him. Still, the prospect of even  _ more _ books had Sephiroth tugging Cloud eagerly toward a bookstore in the mall.

One big bag of books later, Cloud thought his credit card was smoking from abuse, but the way Sephiroth hugged his bag was too adorable. There were books on nature, particularly birds, history, at least three cookbooks, several fiction stories, and Cloud slipped in a book on dining etiquette.

As they settled in for lunch, bags all around them, Sephiroth cracked open the book on etiquette. Cloud watched him sip at a milkshake while he read, his eyes scanning the pages rapidly as he absorbed the information.

“You think you’re gonna have that all down by the time we get to Cid’s house?”

Sephiroth blinked and looked up. The action caused a little shake to dribble onto his lip and chin. Without thinking, Cloud reached up and brushed it away with his thumb. As he did, Sephiroth snapped his teeth, catching Cloud’s thumb in his mouth and sucking away the escaped chocolate.

Cloud’s face burned bright pink at the gesture. Breathing heavily, he sat back down on his seat and stared at his fries.

“Are you all right?” Sephiroth asked, the picture of faux innocence.

“I’m fine!” Cloud snapped, grabbing his burger and chewing furiously.

Sephiroth chuckled and returned his attention to his book.

_ Stupid sexy bastard, _ Cloud thought, following his burger with a long drag off his soda.  _ He’s trying to goad me - in public! _

Sephiroth picked up a fry from his tray and placed it on his tongue, eating it far to sensually for a shitty mall side dish.

“Mm, you were right… the sweetness and the salt together is delicious,” Sephiroth said. He took another sip of his shake and licked a drop from his lips.

“Why are you doing this to me!?” Cloud hissed, lowering his face. He shouldn’t have found eating  _ sensual _ , but Sephiroth had to be doing this on purpose.

“I am not doing anything. You’re the one all worked up. It’s not fair to me, you know.”

“What?”

“I can smell you, Cloud.” Pointedly, Sephiroth glanced down at Cloud’s crotch. “Why do you think my legs are crossed like this?”

Cloud glanced under the table, where Sephiroth uncrossed and re-crossed his legs. The bulge was obvious, even in his jeans. Sitting back up, Cloud took a good look at Sephiroth’s face. The pale blush was evident on his face, but what Cloud had really missed was the beads of sweat at Sephiroth’s temples.

“Oh, damn.” Scanning around them, Cloud dropped his voice to a whisper. “Do you go into heat?”

Sephiroth raised a brow and chuckled. “Heat cycles are for child-bearers,” he said, closing his book and putting it back in the bag. “But, bonded pairs often attract each other’s attention by scent.” A sad tinge hit Sephiroth’s voice and Cloud felt guilt lance through his gut. “That is, if we  _ were  _ bonded …”

“But… I’m a human.”

“So is Angeal. He may not be able to produce scent consciously, but human bodies produce  _ something _ at the point of arousal. And clearly, my kind can detect it.”

Cloud took a deep breath. “You know I find you attractive.”

“Thank you.”

“But, I still don’t think you deserve to be saddled with my shit.”

“Isn’t that for me to decide?”

Cloud blinked and stared up at Sephiroth. “What do you mean?”

“I’m an adult, Cloud. I can decide if I want to be ‘saddled’ with anything. I know you harbor deep sadness within you, but I also know you are loving and kind. I cannot convince you of your worth, but I think you should at least respect my opinion of you. It’s a very  **good** opinion.” Sephiroth cleared his tray and returned, gathering his bags.

Cloud sat there, dumbfounded, as Sephiroth cleaned up his trash and finished off his milkshake.

“We should go home,” Sephiroth murmured. “I can clear this for you-”

Cloud grabbed Sephiroth’s hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back and lacing their fingers together.

“I’m sorry, Sephiroth. I’ve been kind of selfish. Depression is a bitch and likes to make me think I’m not deserving of anything good.”

“I can’t say I understand, but I will say you are better than your mind makes you believe.” Sephiroth leaned down and kissed Cloud gently. “If you are accepting, I would like to be considered your mate.”

“Can we split the difference and call you my boyfriend?”

“I’d like that.”

 

“Oh my gosh! Cloud, you look so good! You’re practically glowing! So, who’s really pregnant, you or me?” Shera greeted them, radiating joy and pleasantness. She pulled Cloud into an awkward hug over her belly, and kissed both of his cheeks. “And you must be the  _ roommate _ ,” Shera teased, escorting Sephiroth in and taking his jacket. “So tall and handsome!”

Cloud chuckled as Sephiroth bristled, being hugged by an enthusiastic astronomer in her third trimester. He flushed bright pink as he was hugged. Thankfully, Cid and Vincent were much more reserved. Cid shook hands with Sephiroth hard enough to pop his arm out of joint, but Vincent kept his handshake to a light jostle.

“Pleased to meet you, Sephiroth,” Vincent hummed. “Shall we go to the dining room?”

Shera rolled her eyes. “Vincent, do you really have to read everyone’s cards the moment you meet them?”

“Only if he feels like it. Can’t read the unwilling,” Vincent said, sweeping around the living room table so his long cardigan fluttered like a cape.

Cid leaned into Sephiroth’s space. “You ain’t gotta have him give you a reading. He just likes to be mysterious an’ strange. That’s why we love him.”

“What is his… reading?” Sephiroth asked.

Cloud groaned. “Vincent reads horoscopes, palms and Tarot cards. He’s a professor of mythology so he likes studying the ‘myths of man.’” Cloud explained. “If you believe it. He told me I’d meet my true love on the road.”

“That is how we met, is it not?” Sephiroth asked, following Cloud to the dining room table.

“Is that so?” Vincent asked, eyes glittering with warm mischief.

“Oh no, now you’ve done it,” Cid groaned. “You’re gonna give him a big head.”

Shera giggled from the kitchen. “I thought that was our jobs, dear.”

“Shera!” Cid barked with laughter and pulled out a seat for Sephiroth, pushing him into it. “C’mon, take a seat, let Vinnie read your future and all that jazz. What do you drink?”

Sephiroth looked flustered. “Water?”

“No tea? Coffee? Beer?”

“I am not a fan of alcohol, but I would like tea,” said Sephiroth, his voice quiet.

Cloud put his hands on Sephiroth’s shoulders and leaned down, kissing his cheek. “They’re a little rowdy, but they’re good people. Don’t be so nervous, they like you.”

“Hell, a man who likes tea is great in my book. If you don’t keep him, Cloud, might have to get him to join my little polycule here,” Cid said, gesturing to his spouses.

“I would like to stay with Cloud,” Sephiroth murmured.

Vincent shuffled his cards and started laying them out. “Let’s see if you shall,” he said.

Sephiroth watched Vincent’s long, elegant fingers as they shuffled and dealt cards. He wore a few gold rings and bracelets on his right hand, with only a double-banded gold ring on his left. Watching the man across the table, Sephiroth found him to be a curious human; Long, black hair was held away from his face by a silky red scarf. Another in black curled around his throat like a thick, fuzzy serpent. He was pale, almost as pale as Sephiroth, and his eyes were a very warm brown. Almost red, in the proper light…

“The Tower,” Vincent announced, interrupting Sephiroth’s study of him. “You recently suffered a great tragedy.” Sephiroth looked at the image of a building on the verge of collapse.

“Yes, I-”

“The Queen of Pentacles, inverted. Your mother?”

Sephiroth’s mouth clicked shut. “I, y-yes…”

“The Star and the Sun,” Vincent announced, not letting Sephiroth feed him more information. “But, things have been looking up for you. Joy has come to you, the clouds of the storm are clearing.”

“Very interest-”

“Please, let me finish. Cid thinks he knows the trick to this, but it’s not a trick. I don’t want you to tell me if I’m right or wrong until I’m done. It keeps the reading authentic.”

Sephiroth nodded and watched Vincent return to his reading.

“Three of Swords, and the Empress.” Vincent frowned. “There something unusual about your mother’s passing…” Two more cards. “The Lovers and the Chariot. You will have a choice coming to you… your options: The Page of Swords, and the World, inverted.” Vincent bridged his fingers together and rested his chin on them. “There will come a point where you will have to decide which is more important. Someone or somewhere. The World inverted could mean that your home no longer feels like home, or there is trouble at home. The Page of Swords is a young man in your life, a man of action. Or you and  _ your  _ actions.”

Vincent laid his hands, face up, on the table. “May I see your hands?”

Sephiroth hesitated to do so, but as he did, Vincent gripped his wrists firmly.

“Go with your heart, star-born child. The old worlds have no place for you anymore. Stay, for love.”

“Now, you’re scarin’ the poor guy, Vinnie. Bein’ all cryptic and stuff. Dinner’s ready, so let’s eat!” Cid said, interrupting the reading.

Vincent gathered his cards from the table as Shera came out with a heaping bowl of steaming pasta, and Cid followed with a pan of meatballs in red sauce.

Sephiroth just stared after Vincent until Cloud got his attention again.

“Don’t take Vincent’s readings too seriously, okay? He just likes to be super intense and pick on the unwary,” said Cloud. “It means he likes you.”

“I wish he’d like me less.”

Cloud chuckled and took his seat beside Sephiroth, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. “You’re doing fine,” he murmured. “Vincent is just… like that.” To help ease the distressed look on Sephiroth’s face, he leaned in and gave Sephiroth a soft kiss.

As expected, Sephiroth’s tense expression melted into a soft smile. The illusion over his alien gaze flickered for a moment before settling back into the common green he hid behind.

“Feel better?” Cloud whispered.

“Hey, now, no naughty times at the table. That’s for dessert!” Cid said, making Sephiroth and Cloud jump. Cid grinned as Shera nudged him. Vincent chuckled, passing over plates as Cid and Shera filled them up.

 

Meals like that at Cid’s house had usually made Cloud feel like a combination of a kid coming home to visit parents and a little awkward. He had never met a “polycule” like the Highwind/Valentine spouses, but the three of them made him feel welcome, even if they also made him feel odd about being single for so long.

It wasn’t until he started calling Sephiroth his “boyfriend” that the awkwardness faded away, as Sephiroth was ushered into the kitchen by Shera to help with desserts. Cid swore she was being genuine about her request, while Vincent said what Cloud was thinking. That Shera was vetting Sephiroth on her own terms, as a mother-to-be rather than ‘one of the boys.’

Cid, meanwhile, sat on the front porch with Vincent and Cloud, indulging in a little post-dinner alcohol. Vincent swirled his glass of wine lightly before sipping, while leaned into Cid’s side, arms draped around each others shoulders. Cid had whiskey he split with Cloud, tilting the glass so the ice clattered together.

Cloud rocked idly on Cid’s porch swing, enjoying the fresher air of the Edge suburbs instead of the crushing haze surrounding Midgar.

“I think he’s good for you,” Cid said, breaking the early evening silence. “You seem happy with him.”

Cloud blushed under the gold porch light and sipped at his drink. “He’s… something else.”

“Indeed, he is,” Vincent hummed. Cloud snapped his eyes over to Vincent, who gave him another mysterious smile. “Though, it didn’t get brought up at dinner, what does he do? For employment?”

Cloud gulped. They hadn’t really discussed Sephiroth’s supposed job in their whole preparation for this meeting. He had been too concerned about Sephiroth accidentally giving away that he was really an angel from space.

“I, well-”

Cid interrupted and dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. “If he’s helpin’ Cloud, that’s a job enough. ‘Sides, Cloud’s not gonna be my delivery boy anymore.”

Cloud balked, nearly dropping his glass. “Wait, what? You’re firing me?! Was that what this was about? A farewell dinner-”

“Hold your Chocobos there, Cloud.” Cid grinned at Cloud. Vincent mirrored his expression, quietly sipping his red wine. “You’re not gonna be my delivery boy anymore, because I came to a decision this week.” Pulling his arm from Vincent’s shoulders, Cid got to his feet. “I’ve decided to give the shop to you.” He held out his hand to shake, smiling affectionately.

Cloud stared up at Cid, then peered around at Vincent. Just as he did, Shera and Sephiroth came out to the porch.

“Cid! You promised you’d wait to tell him!” Shera accused, putting down a tray of sundaes on the table between them.

“Sorry, darlin’, but you know I’ve been sittin’ on this idea for a month! I couldn’t wait any longer!” Cid chuckled as Shera punched him in the arm.

Sephiroth stepped around the pair, sitting beside Cloud.

“You look like you’re in shock…” Sephiroth said.

Cloud hopped up onto his feet and hugged Cid tight. “Why? Why would you do that, you stupid, caring, dumbass-”

Sephiroth frowned as Cloud called Cid a whole host of insults and compliments in the same breath. Vincent slid across the loveseat he had shared with Cid and leaned toward Sephiroth.

“Cid’s going to be busy enough with our baby on the way, and I won’t be able to take enough time to be with Shera during those first few months. Cid’s mechanic shop is just one of the businesses he owns - another is an engineering firm for the city. The shop Cloud works - now owns - was a side business. Cid has toyed with the idea for a long time, but the decision became firm with the baby on the way. It was simply a matter of settling things on the legal end before he told Cloud.”

Sephiroth nodded, grateful for the explanation, but still not quite comprehending Cloud’s reaction. “Why is Cloud crying?”

Cloud whipped around and grabbed Sephiroth by the face, kissing him long and deep. Sephiroth drew a deep breath in and sighed as Cloud broke the kiss.

“I’m happy, babe. I’m not gonna have to worry so much about our finances… I’m gonna be the boss. The  _ owner _ .” Cloud’s eyes looked a brighter blue against the raw pink from crying.

Sephiroth’s heart fluttered; he wished he could feel completely united with Cloud in his joy, but simply seeing it on Cloud’s face was good enough.

“You deserve it,” Sephiroth said, leaning up to steal another kiss while Cloud was close. “You deserve as many good things as you do for others.”

 

Later that night, as Cloud and Sephiroth cruised away with a container of leftovers, Cid and Vincent watched them go. Shera had retired to bed, leaving her husbands to clean up. Once the pair were out of sight, Vincent turned to Cid.

“You made him very happy, my love. And I think Sephiroth will keep him that way.”

“Oh?” Cid headed inside, switching off the porch light. He led the way over to the kitchen door, and sighed at the stack of dishes. “Think Shera will be mad if we leave those ‘til tomorrow?”

“Only if you don’t soak the sauce pans,” Vincent said, coming up behind him. “But, you wanted to know about Sephiroth.” Vincent nuzzled Cid’s ear. “I don’t think he’ll use Cloud. He’s not human.”

Cid pulled out of Vincent’s arms and looked up at him. “Not human? You mean… he ain’t like  _ you _ is he?”

Vincent chuckled. His red eyes glittered in the dim house light, glowing softly with eldritch power. “No, he’s not even of this planet. I could have outed him at dinner, but I could feel the longing Sephiroth has for Cloud, and vice versa. He has no intent on harm. He’s a curious thing… from beyond this solar system.”

Cid rubbed at his neck, looking a little relieved, but still concerned. “Is he the  **thing** that crashed a while back?”

Behind Vincent, shadows danced with the shape of bat-like wings and the snap of a forked tail. “I’m certain of it. But, whatever he is, he’s a gentle soul as long as he has Cloud. There’s a power in him that could turn wicked and cruel if he were to lose himself.”

Cid frowned and folded his arms over his chest. “You think your, uh…  _ siblings _ would take issue with him?” Cid said, thinking back to the massive creature Vincent had once showed him under the ocean floor.

“Absolutely, but they don’t seem to have noticed him yet. Or that other one poking around the theater district.” Vincent chuckled again, the distortion in his voice making Cid’s skin break out in excited goosebumps. “I think they’re just deferring to me. I  _ am  _ the eldest, after all.” The rest of his human form melted away into the demonic shape that Vincent really was, and Cid licked his lips.

“Shame Shera can’t enjoy this right now…” Cid breathed, putting his hands on Vincent’s broad chest. “You’re gonna have to spend extra time with her after the baby arrives.”

Vincent scooped his husband up with clawed hands and powerful arms.

“I absolutely intend to. Now, let’s find a place we won’t wake her…” Vincent rumbled, nearly purring into Cid’s ear. “Your pick, my dear…”

 

Sephiroth and Cloud got into the apartment just after eleven. Sephiroth put away the dish of spaghetti and meatballs that Shera had loaded them with while Cloud flopped onto his couch. Once that was done, he let his illusions fall away, stretching his wings and rubbing at his eyes. He joined Cloud on the couch, perching beside him.

“You’re quiet… are you still in shock from Cid’s announcement?”

Cloud shook his head. “No, no… I’ve been thinking on the drive here. Well,  _ no, _ I’ve been thinking ever since I started letting you stay with me, waking curled up in wings and arms…” Cloud turned toward Sephiroth.

“About this… bond… thing… can you do it again?”

Sephiroth tried to hold in his surprise, but his wings fluffed up, giving him away.

“You… do you wish to bond with me? For real? It will not interfere with what Zack shared with me, nor will it connect the pair of you, if that is a concern. But, when he comes over again, he will pick it up as if we told him.”

“I’m fine with that. Zack’s been pretty good at reading me anyway.” Cloud scooted forward and took Sephiroth’s hands. “And I want you to know how I feel right now. I’m shitty with words.”

“I heard you call Cid all sorts of things. Vincent assured me they were affectionate, but I don’t think I’d like you to call me an asshole.”

Cloud laughed, doubling over. “Not until you get used to the way I say it, anyway.” He pushed closer, climbing into Sephiroth’s lap. “But… can you?”

Sephiroth gasped, holding Cloud in place on his lap. “Of course. I am honored to do so with your blessing.”

Cloud felt himself blush and pressed his forehead to Sephiroth’s. “Just do it before I get nervous and change my- _ oh _ .”

The first thing he felt was falling, like he tumbled into a bottomless pit of glittering crystal against black stone. Until he realized he was hurtling through space, his wings beating against solar waves -  _ no, _ they were Sephiroth’s wings, strong and powerful, pushing him with supernatural speed through the cosmos. He blinked and saw asteroids and comets and meteors. Sights and visions he could only dream of. He saw Gaea, a blue marble of wonder - and then he really  _ was _ falling. The burn of atmosphere, the pain of impact… a radiant light.

He saw himself, laying in the road, a living soul dying in front of his eyes. He felt Sephiroth pick up his body and the drain of energy as Sephiroth put his body back together again. The dying light stabilized. 

_ Why was I glowing like that? Is that how Sephiroth sees me? _ Cloud wondered, his lips moving with silent thoughts.

The visuals flowed into a river of memories since that day. Waking up and meeting Cloud properly. Meeting Zack. Seeing Genesis and Angeal. The memories were all of him, many of them as Cloud woke or greeted him as he came home from work, a bright light surrounded in shades of gray. The memories started to blend together, with Cloud feeling the astonishment Sephiroth felt for learning about humans, the beauty of the sunset they shared - the way his heart beat at their first kiss. He saw glimpses of Sephiroth’s homeworld, a rocky, strange place filled with stone spires and green-gray skies. Losing his mother. Losing both of their mothers. Feeling the happiness of making a new friend. Of finding each other. Of getting to know Cloud. Seeing Cloud smile. Spending time with Cloud…

_ Cloud… _

“Cloud…” Sephiroth’s voice made his eyes pop open as he called out. Breaking contact with him, Cloud sat back on Sephiroth’s lap, panting.

“Are you okay?” Sephiroth asked. Beads of sweat rolled down from his temples and forehead. Cloud wiped the sweat off his own brow, nodding and catching his breath.

“That was… intense.”

“A bond can be, if you care for the person you share it with,” Sephiroth replied. His voice sounded heavy and thick, as if he’d been running for miles. But Cloud  _ felt _ like it was different. The air even smelled different…

_ “...bonded pairs often attract each other’s attention by scent…” _

Cloud recalled Sephiroth’s words with shocking clarity. He inhaled slowly, feeling his body tingle. “Sephiroth-”

“Yes.”

“Do you…?”

“I need you.”

Cloud gulped as Sephiroth stood up and gathered him into his arms.

“Bedroom,” Cloud commanded, though Sephiroth was already headed there.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vincent Valentine is an eldritch abomination in a domestic situation with his spouses. Cid and Shera just happen to be monsterfuckers... it's a situation that works for everybody. :D
> 
> Next chapter will be Horney. (making it skippable for those who prefer to jump ahead when the following chapter arrives.)

**Author's Note:**

> Ever have a really weird dream that turns into a fic? yeah.


End file.
